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ERA :>T1JDIES QP 



ILD BIRDS 



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Class 

Book ^ : 

Copyright^ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




From a painting 



0UN3 ELUE JAYS 



CAMERA STUDIES 



-OF- 



WILD BIRDS 

IN THEIR HONES 

BY 

CHESTER A. REED, B. S. 

Author of "Land Birds/' "Water Birds," "Flower Guide/ 
"Nature Studies/' North American Birds' Eggs/' etc. 



With More Than 200 Illustrations From Photographs 
of Living Wild Birds 



Chas. K. Reed, 

Worcester, Mass. 

1911 



Copyrighted 1911 
Chas. K. Reed, Worcester, Mass. 



<g CI. A 2 955 52 



PREFACE 

Although I had previously made many photographs in 
which living birds formed either the chief or a secondary 
object of the picture, it was in the year nineteen hundred 
that my first real efforts in the line of bird photography 
were made. The paths of camera-hunters in this line are 
not by any means strewn with roses. I have had my share 
of the necessary hard work, hardships, sometimes dangers, 
disappointments and the many failures to be expected. On 
the other hand, I have as results about two thousand good 
negatives and several thousand others not satisfactory to 
me but still passably good. 

Success or failure depends practically upon the dispo- 
sitions of the individual birds selected as subjects. If they 
are willing, — you get the picture; if not, — you pack up 
your outfit and depart, chalking down another failure. I 
have been very fortunate in this respect for "my" birds 
have nearly always proved very tractable; what failures 
I have recorded have been due chiefly to the fact that I 
was not willing to cause undue suffering to the little birds 
either from lack of food or too long exposure to hot sun- 
rays. I have always worked upon the principle that no 
bird photograph is worth even the risk of destruction to a 
nest of little birds. I speak of this because I wish to im- 
press upon all my readers who may undertake bird pho- 
tography that pictures must always take a place secondary 
to the welfare of the little birds. 

A few minutes exposure to hot rays of a burning sun may 
prove fatal to young birds; — therefore always when possi- 
ble have them shaded. Digestion, in a young bird, takes 
place very rapidly; an hour without food may prove fatal 
to a very young bird, — therefore do not be the means of 
causing the parents to withhold food from the little ones 
for long at a time. Changing the location of a nest even 



but a short distance may cause the owners to desert it or 
may leave it exposed to attacks from cats, squirrels or other 
enemies, — therefore do not for any reason remove a nest 
from its original site. 

I have selected, as far as possible, pictures in series show- 
ing the various happenings at nests of the different birds. 
Unfortunately limited space will not permit of showing 
my large series of sea birds and birds of prey, so I have 
selected chiefly the more common song and insectivorous 
birds. 

Every half-tone shown is from a photograph of an au- 
thentic nest in its original location as chosen by the bird 
or of living, free, wild birds. The majority of these are 
of my own making, but to fill in series I have used a few 
that have been published in American Ornithology. I wish 
to give credit to the makers of these as follows : 
G. C. Embody, Fig. 13. 
C. A. Smith, Fig. 105-6, 83. 
A. R. Dugmore, Fig. 104, 212. 
G. E. Moulthrope, Fig. 44-5, 50, 253. 
J. H. Miller, Fig. 41, 80, 252, 254, 71, 111. 
J..E. Seebold, Fig. 34-5. 

R. H. Beebe, Fig. 114, 234, 242, 62, 67, 257, 189, 85-6. 
I. E. Hess, Fig. 248-9, 93. 

E. L. Bickford, Fig. 166. 

J. M. Schreck, Fig. 238, 246-7. 
A. R. Spaid, Fig. 69, 70, 130. 
A. J. Meyer, Fig. 199- 
L. S. Horton, Fig. 97, 8 

F. R. Miller, Fig. 135-6, 48, 51. 
N. F. Stone, Fig. 17, 53. 

W. F. Smith, Fig. 73, 122. 

A. D. Wheedon, Fig. 250, 112. 



CONTENTS 

Introduction 7 

Bird Studies in Black and White 9 

The Chickadee (13 illustrations) 9 

The Nuthatch (13 illustrations) 21 

Air Scouts 31 

Chimney Swift (3 illustrations) 31 

Nighthawk (4 illustrations) 36 

Whip-poor-will (3 illustrations) 43 

Tree Swallow (1 illustration) 46 

Bank Swallow (2 illustrations) 47 

Bird Masons 51 

Phoebe (6 illustrations) 51 

Barn Swallow (5 illustrations) 59 

Expert Flycatchers 65 

Chebec (6 illustrations) 65 

Redstart (3 illustrations) 69 

Blue Skies and Blue Birds 75 

Bluebird (10 illustrations) 75 

Blue Jay (7 illustrations) 82 

Moss-covered Homes 91 

Hummingbird (4 illustrations) 91 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1 illustration) 97 

Wood Pewee (1 illustration) 98 

Favorite Songsters 103 

Goldfinch (2 illustrations) 101 

Robin (13 illustrations) 103 

Veery (4 illustrations) 117 

Wood Thrush (3 illustrations) 123 

Grosbeak (3 illustrations) 125 

Catbird (6 illustrations) 130 

Brown Thrasher (7 illustrations) 135 

Birds of Silence 143 

Cedarbird (8 illustrations) 143 

Cuckoos (7 illustrations) .152 



6 

Only Sparrows 159 

Chipping Sparrow (10 illustrations) 159 

Song Sparrow (2 illustrations) 170 

Field Sparrow (4 illustrations) 172 

Grasshopper Sparrow (1 illustration) 176 

The Imposter 179 

Maryland Yellow-throat 179 

Cowbird (5 illustrations) 179 

Swinging Homes 186 

Red-eyed Vireo (7 illustrations) 186 

Bush-Tit (2 illustrations) 195 

The Gleaners 199 

Golden-winged Warbler 198 

Black-and- White Warbler (7 illustrations) 199 

Chest.-sided Warbler (6 illustrations) 207 

Prairie Warbler (3 illustrations) 211 

Ovenbird (3 illustrations) 217 

Yellow Warbler (1 illustration) 219 

Fisher-Birds 223 

Kingfisher (9 illustrations) 223 

Osprey (4 illustrations) 231 

My Sandpiper Friends 239 

(9 illustrations) 

The Woodland Apartment 251 

Downy Woodpecker (14 illustrations) 251 

House Wren (10 illustrations) 262 

Carolina Wren (1 illustration) 270 

Feathered Tyrants 271 

Kingbird (10 illustrations) 271 

Arkansas Kingbird (1 illustration) 280 

Rocky Mountain Jay (2 illustrations) 279 

Loggerhead Shrike (6 illustrations) 284 

The Wood-Hewers 295 

Flicker (4 illustrations) 295 

Red-headed Woodpecker (2 illustrations) 297 

Sapsucker (2 illustrations) 299 

How Bird Photographs are Made 305 

Index 311 



INTRODUCTION. 

Very few persons as they look at pictures in magazines 
or in books ever give an instant's thought as to the time, 
the patience or perhaps hardships the photographer might 
have endured in the making of them. With the general 
public, the prevalent idea is that anyone with a camera of 
any kind can take a "snap-shot" of anything and get a 
good picture. As a matter of fact, very few good pictures 
of any subject are ever secured by the commonly accepted 
"snap-shot" method. Some thought and study, even though 
it be done almost instantly, must be given as to the composi- 
tion and the probable appearance of the finished picture. 

I have done nearly all kinds of photography, — land- 
scape, marine, portraiture, pet animals, press photography 
(which is very exacting), etc. I do not believe that any 
other class of photography offers the difficulties or has as 
large a percentage of failures as will be encountered by 
one who essays photographing living, wild birds. 

Some of the pictures that follow were obtained with the 
greatest of ease but they were of exceptional birds and I am 
duly thankful to them for the consideration they showed 
me. Others represent hours and even days of hard work 
and frequent disappointments. It was only by the very 
narrowest margin that the taking of one of the series shown 
did not lead to the printing of my obituary. 

In the last chapter I give some details that may be of 
assistance to those who wish to make pictures of birds. I 
only speak of the difficulties here so that those who scan the 
pictures on the succeeding pages may not think one can 
grab up a camera, rush to the woods and take pictures of 
birds offhand. Just remember that more than seventy-five 
per cent, of the adult birds, whose pictures are shown, were 
between three and four feet from the lens of the camera 
and figure out how many birds you ever approached as 
closely as that. 



BIRD STUDIES IN BLACK AND WHITE 

The Chickadee 

We were wending our way along a narrow country lane, 
hedged in on either side by stone walls and bushes, when 
a clear "phe-be," whistled in that high-pitched, clear tone, 
such as only the Chickadee can produce, attracted our atten- 
tion. A few steps more we went, and the song suddenly 
ceased and changed to a series of "dee-dee-dee's" uttered 








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ilm 



Fig. 2. NEST OF CHICKADEE. 



Part of stump removed to show the twelve eggs,— a very un- 
usual number. In a birch stub, barely two feet above ground. 



10 




Fig. 3. MADAM CHICKADEE AND HER HOME. 

She has a green caterpillar in her beak; as it was a lively 
one, she has beaten it on a branch until it is mis-shapen and 
nearly dead. 

as rapidly as they could come from the throat of an angry 
bird. 

It was very evident that we were uncomfortably near 
her home, but in which direction it was, we did not know 
and, had she been wise and remained silent, we probably 
never would have known. She came down very close to us 
and we saw that she had her beak filled to the brim with 



11 



plant lice. How she could retain her grip upon them and 
still "dee-dee" so vigorously was a mystery, but the sound 
poured forth as rapidly from between her closed mandibles 
as it did later after she had deposited the food where it 
belonged. 

Naturally, with a mother bird anxious to feed her babies, 
to help us, it required but a few minutes to locate the nest 
in a small dead tree beside the wall. Violent as had been 
her protestations when we first found her, she soon became 
quite reconciled to our presence and, in a short time, was 
one of the tamest birds with which I have had to deal. 

For the next three or four hours we camped out right be- 
side her home and, from the protection of a small tent, made 
a number of negatives of her and her mate going back and 




Fig. 4. FATHER CHICKADEE AND HIS LOAD. 

He was more shy than his mate and watched the tent closely 
each time before entering. 







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be 



13 



forth. The little birds were fed, on an average, about once 
in every four minutes, the adults timing their visits so that 
one was nearly always present. 

Mrs. Chickadee nearly always brought a load of tiny 
insects, most often plant lice, — so small that she must 
have brought from twenty to forty at each trip. Her mate 
was a philosopher, or it may have been that he was simply 
lazy, for he always brought single, large, white grubs, 
which certainly must have been easier to collect and perhaps 
were more filling than quantities of mites. 




Fig. 6. She was not timid and always lit on the side of the 
branch nearest the tent, as though to shield her little ones. 



In order to see the little Chickadees, we made the opening 
to the nest a little larger. We found that they were pretty 
large "little Chickadees" for the only difference in appear- 
ance they showed from their parents was in abbreviated tail 
feathers. There were six of them, five of which were very 
capable of short flights; in fact one slipped through my 
fingers and got away before I had a chance to see how large 
they were. 

When we decided to arrange the five little fellows, that 
still remained, on a stick so that we might picture their par- 



14 



ents feeding them, I knew that we would have our hands 
more than full; and my expectations were fully realized. 

Mother Chickadee ought to have been very proud of her 
children, and undoubtedly she was. They obeyed every 
command from her, and she called "jump" (in bird lan- 
guage) just as often as we placed them in position to suit 
us. If it were possible to obtain a little knowledge of bird 




Fig. 7. A SEXTETTE OF CHICKADEES. 

Try as we would we could not persuade more than six of the 
dozen to pose for their pictures. 



language, I would give considerable to know just the sounds 
that mean "keep still." We finally got the pictures we 
wanted, but we earned them, and surely the little fellows 
earned the freedom that we allowed them as soon as we had 
made two exposures. 



15 



I have found and photographed several other families 
of Chickadees, one nest of which contained twelve eggs. 
I think this is about a record number and certainly it is 
more than these birds should have had, for the birch stump 
was so small that the eggs were arranged in tiers. They 
did, however, succeed in raising the entire family success- 
fully. When the little fellows were most ready to leave 
home, they filled the stump from the bottom of the cavity to 




Fig. 8. Father Chickadee often made the mistake of alighting 
at the wrong^ side. It is the two little birdies at the left that are 
to be fed this time. 



the top. Those at the bottom were continually pushing 
their way up in order to get fed in their turn, — a perfect cir- 
culation of young Chickadees. 

One summer, Mr. E. H. Forbush, well known in orni- 
thological circles, wrote me that if I would appear with my 




Fig. 9. MR. FORBUSH WATCHING HIS CHICKADEE. 

This bird repeatedly lit on the side, and top of the nesting box, 
went in and fed her little ones while Mr. Forbush was watching 
them through the glass front. 




BLUEBiRD 



From a painting 




CHIPPING SPARROW 



From a painting 



17 



i 




Fig. 10. A close view of the male bird about to enter the nest- 
ing box. 



camera he could promise me a bird treat. The next day I 
arrived at his house and was shown the home of a pair of 
Chickadees in a bird box attached to the sill of a second 
story shed window. It probably was the first successful at- 
tempt to induce these little birds to utilize a box attached to 
a dwelling. 



18 




Fig. 11. They appreciate the winter lunch counter provided 
by bird lovers. 




Fig. 12. They are quite fearlessHn winter and occasionally 
feed from the hand,. 



19 



The back of the box facing the window, was removable, 
so that all that transpired, as the parents fed the five little 
birds, could be plainly watched at a distance of but two 
feet. The value of a family of these birds on the premises 
is easily seen from the fact that all shrubs and plants about 
the house were kept entirely free from plant lice during 
the season. 




Fig. 13. Cavities in orchard trees make fine nesting places. 

You will notice, by one of the accompanying pictures, 
that the Chickadees were not in the least afraid, but came 
and went even though they were being watched at close 
range. The little ones left the nest shortly after this pic- 
ture was taken, flying first to Mr. Forbush's shoulder, then 
to his hat and thence out into the wide, wide world. 

Chickadees can easily be induced to remain about farm 
houses in summer if they are occasionally fed during the 
winter, when food is scarce or difficult to obtain. Even if 
the orchard contains no trees with decayed limbs, in which 
they can nest, they will remain if you wire short sections 
of decayed birches to some of the trees. 



/ y 



20 




Fig. 14. A piece of suet is just the thing for Chickadees 
cola wintry days. 




Fip:. 15. A white-breasted Nuthatch and the bountiful repast 
ofnuis and suet provided for him by a human friend. 



21 




Fig. 16. Does a Nuthatch like nuts? Note the inverted posi- 
tion. These birds love to be head downivard. 



White-breasted Nuthatch 

Here is an acrobat worthy of notice. Apparently in de- 
fiance of all laws of gravity, he nimbly runs down tree 
trunks head-foremost, with never a falter. To him, the un- 
der side of a limb is just as secure a resting place as the 
top. A very close watch of his movements will show how 
he is able to get into such unbalanced positions; one foot 
is carried well forward under his breast but the other is 
reached back and grasps the bark behind so he can progress 
downward in a series of quick hitches. 



22 




Most of the nuthatch nests I have found have been lo- 
cated in holes in large chestnut trees, from twenty to fifty 
feet from the ground and of course, entirely unsuited for 
photographic purposes. Finally a pair was located breed- 
ing in a decayed limb of an apple tree very near a farm 
house and only about six feet from the ground. At the bot- 
tom of the cavity, on a soft bed of grasses and feathers, 
lay five, delicate eggs covered with reddish brown specks. 

The male was very attentive to his mate while she was 
sitting upon her eggs and often carried tempting grubs to 
her. Again he would slide down the limb just above her 




Fig. 18. IN AN OLD APPLE TREE. 



24 




Fig. 19. CLEANING THE NEST. 
Note the male bird in the rear. 




Fig. 20. FATHER NUTHATCH ARRIVES. 



25 




Fig. 21. The male Nuthatch was a handsome bird with a 
glossy black crown. 



and utter a soft "yank, yank" until she gave an answering 
"yank" from within. He did not spend much of his time 
in the apple tree, for to have done so would have advertised 
his home too conspiciously, but he was always within sight 
in the woods across the road. He could often be heard dili- 
gently hammering to get grubs that were concealed beneath 
the bark. 



i 




Fig. 




Fig. 23. The little birds and their parents assumed all man- 
ner of poses. 



27 



I often watched him, standing on the shaggy bark of a 
chestnut tree, pounding away with might and main, some- 
times putting his bill under an edge of the bark and prying 
until it seemed as though he might snap his bill in the mid- 
dle. When hammering they always take their position 
above their work, iust as the human wood-chopper likes to 
do. 




Fig. 24. Caterpillars were eaten with a relish. 



The male nuthatch, known by his glossy black crown, 
never took a turn at sitting upon the eggs leaving such 
duties exclusively to his gray-crowned wife. After the 
eggs hatched he assumed the greater part of the burden of 
feeding the little ones, coming with food at least twice as 
often as did his mate. I suspect this was because he was 
more skillful at uncovering larvae and grubs, and not be- 
cause of any desire on his part to work more than necessary. 



28 




Fig. 25. 




Fig. 26. The inconvenience of being in the way when brother'' 
turn comes. 



29 




Fig. 27. His children were clamoring to be fed, so loudly 
that, in his excitement, father stood on one of them. 



Besides grubs and larvae, the little ones were fed upon 
many kinds of millers and sometimes upon cracked corn 
that was picked up in the hen yard. Two weeks after the 
eggs hatched, the young were nearly large enough to leave 
the nest. They looked almost like their parents, the males 
having glossy black crowns, and the females gray ones. 
The five youngsters were arranged side by side on a small 
limb and many views taken of the parents as they fed them. 
Both parents never came to the branch at the same time, 
though one would often stay in the apple tree and watch 
while the other one was pushing food into the cavernous 
mouths. The little birds were very tractable, not behaving 
at all like the little chickadees. In fact they did not fly 
from the branch at all, but they were inclined to clamber 
along it so as to reach the trunk of the tree. 



30 



The name Nuthatch was given to birds of this family 
because of their supposed habit of hammering or "hatching" 
at nuts to get at the meat within, but as far as I know, none 
of the four species found in the United States ever open 
nuts of any kind. They are, however, very fond of the 
kernels and are often fed upon them as well as suet during 
winter months, bv kind-hearted folks. Nuthatches, Chicka- 




Fig. 28. BROTHER AND SISTER. 

Note the gray crown on the female and the jet black one of the 
male. 



dees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are usually resident 
wherever they are found so that, besides the pleasure 
gained by watching them eat from the table provided for 
them, they may remain and nest the next summer in the 
vicinity. Any community that is so fortunate as to be the 
dwelling place of a number of these birds is to be envied, 
for they do inestimable good by destroying many insects 
that ravage shade trees, fruit trees and plants. 



SI 

AIR SCOUTS. 

Certain long-winged birds spend a large proportion of 
their existence a-wing, dashing across the fields, swooping 
across ponds, skimming over housetops, even sweeping the 
clouds. These birds may very fittingly be termed "air- 
scouts," — always on the lookout for insect enemies. They 
are constantly on duty scouring the skies, performing 
for mankind, in times of peace, services incomparably great- 
er than those expected of our aeroplane scouts in time of 
war. 

Chimney Swift 

One of the most useful of these scouts is a "city dweller." 

Chimney Swifts at one time nested only in hollow trees 
and in caves or crevices in cliffs. To-day for some unac- 
countable reason they nest almost exclusively within the 
depths of unused chimneys. We can readily understand 
why they like to live in cities for there the little gnats and 
flies they like so well are the most abundant, but it is not 
so plain why any species of bird should desert the compara- 
tively clean cavities of decayed trees for the dirty, sooty 
interiors of brick chimneys. It seems like a retrogressive 
rather than a progressive development. 

Swifts return to the northern states about the middle of 
April each year, but they delay their nest building until 
early May when the weather is more settled. It is quite 
necessary that the air be dry when they make their homes 
for they are held together entirely by glue which does not 
harden rapidly in damp weather. This glue is made by 
the swifts from their saliva; it is very hard and almost 
waterproof when dry. 

Their nest building is very interesting to watch but it is 
a slow operation often keeping the two birds busy for a week 
more. It is made of twigs varying in length from half an 
inch to a couple inches. They must of necessity be dead 
twigs for the birds break them from the tips of branches, 



32 




Fig. 29. CHIMNEY SWIFT. 

Note how the tail spines assist them in clinging to the upright 
surface. 






33 



while hovering in the air; I have on numerous occasions 
seen them secure nesting material in this way but never, 
except twice, did I see them alight on the ground to pick 
up pieces. 

The inside of the chimney, at the point selected, is 
smeared with glutinous saliva and the little twig covered 
with the same; each tiny stick is added in this manner un- 
til the nest projects from the wall for two or three inches 
and the interior is an inch deep. It makes a very strong little 
home when properly made. Often, however, they fail to 
make the front wall sufficiently high so that some of the 
eggs roll or are pushed out by the sitting bird. 

The eggs, white and from three to five in number, require 
incubating for nearly three weeks before they hatch. The 
young birds remain in the chimney for nearly a month longer 
before they are able to venture out on their wings. So the 
nesting of swifts is a slow process requiring about two 
months, while the ordinary insectivorous bird will get its 
little ones out of the nest sometimes within a month from 
the time the foundation was first commenced. 

Long before the little swifts are able to fly they get 
exercise by climbing about the inside of their chimney- 
home. A pair of swifts always built their nest directly op- 
posite the stove-pipe opening in the chimney of an old 
country house. I have often removed the cap to look at the 
eggs or, later, to see the four little swifts clinging to the 
chimney directly under the nest. They are nimble little 
things and seldom lose their hold. Sometimes they do, 
and fall to the bottom of the chimney but, by the aid of the 
wings, their sharp little claws and their spiney tails, they 
can climb to the nest again. If you have examined Chim- 
ney Swifts closely, you probably have noticed that the 
shafts of the tail feathers project beyond the webs making 
sharp little spines that are of great assistance to the birds 
in their manner of living. 

As it is obviously impossible for a bird to fly upwards in 



3 



~r- 



34 



a vertical line and the narrow confines of a chimney would 
seem to make such flight a necessity, I often used to wonder 
just how the adult birds left the home. Of course a boy's 
curiosity has to be satisfied so one day I removed the board 
from the front of the old-fashioned fireplace, concealed 




Fig. 30. NEST OF CHIMNEY SWIFT. 
Taken by reflected light from a mirror. 



myself within and watched until my quest for knowledge 
was satisfied. Their movements were so rapid and the 
loosened soot would persist in getting in my eyes so much 
that my research was no easy one. 






35 




Fig. 31. CHIMNEY SWIFT ON NEST. 

A little blurred because the bird jumped when the light was 
flashed on her. 

The chimney was about eighteen inches in width. Start- 
ing from the nest, the bird would leap upward, and two 
strong flaps of the narrow wings would carry him to the 
opposite wall a little more than a foot above where he start- 
ed; he just barely touched the side, whirled and two more 
beats raised him another foot. He only had about fifteen 
feet to rise before reaching the top and it only took about 
ten of the rapid side-to-side flights to accomplish it. 

The return to the nest was more difficult to watch as the 
birds came dashing down with the speed of a bullet, ap- 
parently not touching the sides at all. Almost before I 
could see them coming they would have turned and be 
clinging beside the nest. 



36 

The rapid twittering of Chimney Swifts is often heard 
as they wheel about overhead, and the sound is greatly aug- 
mented when a little swift is about to make his maiden 
flight into the unknown. All the adults and young in the 
vicinity gather to celebrate the event and to encourage the 
little fellow in his attempt. The young swifts get their 
wings strongly developed before leaving the chimney by 
flights from side to side, so that they have little to fear as 
they emerge into the open and follow the others over the 
house tops. 

Swifts are used by many as weather prophets and their 
prognostications seem to come true far more often than 
those of our government experts. When swifts fly high, 
fair weather is presumed to follow ; when they fly low, look 
out for rain. Whether they fly high or fly low, however, 
you may be quite certain that it is not the state of the 
weather that influences them but means that the food they 
seek is most abundant at that level. The weather may or 
may not influence the altitudes at which the winged insects 
happen to be. 



NlGHTHAWKS AND WHIP-POOR-WILLS 

These two birds, often confused with one another by 
many, are similar in form but distinctive in plumage and 
very different in habits. I will first note some of the dis- 
tinctions. 

Nighthawk has a white throat, white bar across the outer 
wing feathers, white bar across the middle of the outer tail 
feathers and the tail a trifle forked (female has the throat 
and tail bars rather buffy-colored). Whip-poor-will has a 
black throat, no white on wings, rounded tail and white 
tips to the outer feathers. These differences in plumage 
are positive and should distinguish the two whether seen 
flying or perching. But there are other differences. 



37 




Fig. 32. NIGHTHAWK. 
Sitting upon her eggs on the gravel roof of a city block. 



38 



Nighthawks fly most at dusk or on cloudy days, frequent- 
ing open localities or cities; thousands see them every day 
during the season they are with us. Whip-poor-wills are 
night birds, frequenting woods and are seen by but compar- 
atively few persons. The call of the Nighthawk is a rasp- 



PRrw 




Fig. 33. The male spend daytime sitting lengthwise along 
limbs and is quite difficult to see. 



ing, nasal "peenk," given while flying; that of the Whip- 
poor-will is a loudly and rapidly whistled "whip-poor-will" 
often repeated twenty or more times in succession; this 
song is uttered while perched in the tops of trees. 

The differences between the two birds are so great that 
there is really little reason for confusion, whenever or 
wherever they are seen or heard. . . 

Nighthawks are past masters in the art of aviation. There 
are no feats of skill performed by other birds that cannot 
be equalled by these. During June and July they can 



39 



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t . mat 


*> Br 








* • ■itj>s." / 


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^^•L. 


S&IR^^^A^ 




ill 










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Fig. 34. NEST AND EGGS OF NIGHTHAWK. 
The eggs are laid on the bare surface of a flat stone. 



40 



usually be seen and heard in great numbers about any large 
city as they circle high in the air or sweep in graceful 
curves over the tops of the buildings. In the country they 
frequent the edges of woods or burned areas where flying 
insects are the most easily secured. They are very sociable 
birds and often hunt in large flocks. I have watched fully 
a hundred of them at a time as they swept back and forth 
across a large field, curving, skimming and cavorting about 
in a perfect maze ; with never a falter they crossed and re- 
crossed paths, each seeming to read the other's mind per- 
fectly so that imminent collisions were always averted. 

Nighthawk bills are very small but the mouth opens to 
a point below the eyes so that the gape is enormous. Their 
food is entirely caught while on the wing, — either by snap- 
ping up individual moths or beetles or by dashing through 
swarms of gnats, with wide-open mouths gathering them in 
by the hundreds. 

During the mating season the males often perform won- 
derful evolutions in the air. Sometimes they make perpen- 
dicular descents from high altitudes shooting downwards 
with folded wings at bullet-like speed and turning upward 
so suddenly that the air rushing through their wings pro- 
duces a hollow "booming." On a warm, still evening during 
early June and the latter part of May, these "boomings" 
may very frequently be heard. 

Although so exceedingly expert in aerial evolutions, 
Nighthawks are very awkward when on the ground. Their 
small, weak feet give them a very wobbly gait so that they 
often require the services of their wings to keep their bal- 
ance. When roosting on the limbs of trees and fence rails 
they almost invariably sit lengthwise, their mottled plumage 
and motionless attitudes rendering them very inconspicious. 

They build no nest at all, — just lay their two mottled 
eggs on the bare ground, usually choosing a small sandy 
spot in a pasture or in very open woods; frequently they 
are laid in hollows on rocks or even (very commonly) on 



41 




Fig. 35. NIGHTHAWK ON ITS NEST. 



Note that it is not at all conspicuous, Sometimes they can 
touched before they will fly. 



flat gravel roofs of city blocks. The eggs resemble the peb- 
bles so closely that it is difficult to see them. A friend 
knowing that I am always ready to go almost anywhere to 
secure a good bird picture, came and informed me that a 
Nighthawk was sleeping on his roof every day; that it sat 
behind a certain chimney and would allow him to approach 
within a few feet before flying. I thought it strange that 
he made no mention of seeing the eggs, but I went along 
and, sure enough, the bird, a female Nighthawk, was just 
where he said it would be. When we were about four feet 
distant it sailed easily away over the surrounding roofs. 
My friend watched the bird until it disappeared and then 
turned to me with a self-satisfied air saying: "I knew it 
would be here; strange that it comes to the same building 
to roost every day, isn't it?" He could hardly believe his 
eyes when I showed him the two eggs the bird had been 
covering. He had started this bird off at least half a dozen 
times and had not noticed them. 

If the bird is flushed from the eggs when incubation is 
well advanced, she will attempt to lead the intruder away 
by feigning lameness, — a very easy matter for a Nighthawk 
as they progress very awkwardly on the ground anyway. 
Young Nighthawks are first covered with fine down but, 
unlike most birds that are so clothed, they move about in- 
differently on their feet. One or the other of the parents 
sits beside them during the day and they are not fed until 
between dusk and daylight. 

Whip-poor-will 

Unless disturbed, Whip-poor-wills pass the whole day 
dozing on horizontal limbs or upon fallen tree trunks. They 
are even more averse to moving during daylight than Owls. 
As soon, however, as the mantle of night has fallen over the 
woods, they become very active, swooping close to the 
ground to gather up luckless beetles or dashing upward to 
capture passing moths. Their bills are small but their 



43 




Fig. 36. NEST AND EGGS OF WHIP-POOR-WILL. 



The eggs are laid on the ground or leaves with no semblance 
of a nest. 



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mouths are perhaps even larger than those of Nighthawks. 
They swallow, with ease, the largest of the moths and 
sphinges and relish equally well small gnats or winged ants. 
Chuck-wills-widows, larger members of the same genus, 
found commonly in ':he Southern States are even more vor- 
acious and devour anything that happens to be a-wing at 
night and that will go in their enormous mouths ; frequently 




Fig. 38. WHIP-POOR-WILL. 

Notice how perfectly she blends into the surrounding leaves. 
The living bird as seen by the eye shows no plainer than it does 
here. 



the remains of small birds are found in their stomachs, prob- 
ably caught while flying from one perch to another. 

Whip-poor-wills are very noisy on warm, clear, still 
nights. One night I pitched my tent beside a juniper tree 
on a point of land making out into a beautiful lake. This 
particular tree happened to be the favorite lookout perch 
of a Whip-poor-will, or else he was attarcted to it by the 



46 



white tent. At any rate one of them sat in the top of this 
little juniper from nine o'clock until one. It seemed to me 
that he "whipped-poor-will" constantly all this time. The 
notes are not objectionable and are interesting to listen to 
for a few minutes at a time, but four hours of continuous 
performance was too much for me, especially as the per- 
former was within twenty feet. I went out and gathered 
a few stones ; as the first one went by he evidently though 
it some species of moth for he darted after it the same as 




Fig. 39. TREE SWALLOW. 
These swallows nest in hollow trees or in bird boxes. 



.bats do if anything is thrown up in front of them, and 
then returned to the tree top and "whip-poor-willed" again. 
The next stone crashed through the tree below him and I 
saw his shadowy form flit overhead across the lake where 
his calls soon mingled with others of his kind and I was 
left undisturbed by them for the balance of the night. 



47 




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48 

The Whip-poor-will makes no nest but lays its two faint- 
ly mottled eggs on dead leaves on the ground in woods, 
usually where they will be partly concealed by overhanging 
brush. During daylight they trust to their protective color- 
ation entirely and it rarely fails them. You can readily 
judge from the photographs shown how closely they har- 
monize in color and markings with their surroundings. If 
one knows the location of a nest and uses due caution in 
approaching he can nearly always touch them before they 
will leave. • 

The feathers of all birds of this genus are exceedingly 
soft so that their flight is entirely noiseless. At night they 
can thread their way in and out through the branches with 
an ease and grace that is incredible. I believe their sight 
too, at night, is even keener that that of any of the owls. 

Swallows 

Swallows are the most active, most persistant and most 
graceful gleaners of the atmosphere. Of the six species 
found in the eastern states, all except the Bank and the 




Fig. 41. YOUNG BANK SWALLOWS. 



49 

Rough-winged Swallows have taken up their abodes in 
buildings built by man. Even the Bank Swallow commonly 
nests in holes in banks where men are constantly at work 
digging; and the Rough-winged species often makes its 
homes among the stones of bridge foundations. Barn Swal- 
lows nest within our barns, Eave or Cliff Swallows make 
their homes under the eaves, Tree Swallows live in little 
bird houses nailed to the sides of buildings or holes in our 
orchard trees and Purple Martins live in colonies, often in 
very large, elaborate, many-roomed houses topping poles 
set on lawns. No other class of birds has become so almost- 
domesticated as the swallows. 

Swallows are always sociable; they sometimes nest in 
very large colonies and always in as large numbers as the 
locality will support or furnish sites for. Of course it is 
more difficult for Tree Swallows to find a sufficient number 
of suitable cavities for many to nest near together, but 1 
have found a half dozen pairs of these nesting in one 
orchard. 

The illustration in which part of the bank has been cut 
away gives a perfect idea of the nesting of Bank Swallows. 
The little tunnel goes horizontally in for about two feet 
and is then enlarged to make room for the feather-lined, 
grass nest. The four or five eggs are pure white without 
markings. 



50 




Fig. 42. A FAVORITE BRIDGE. 
For many years Phoebes have nested under this old bridge, 
Note the bird on the branch at left. 



51 

BIRD MASONS. 

Certain of our wild birds are quite expert at handling, 
and use quantities of mud in the formation of the cradles 
for their eggs and young. Three good examples of such 
birds are given in this chapter. The Robin and the Wood 
Thrush, the home lives of which are given in another chap- 
ter, also use much mud for the foundations of their nests. 

Phoebe 

Early each spring, soon after the arrival, in New Eng- 
land, of Bluebirds, Robins and Song Sparrows, friend 
Phoebe puts in his appearance, — a welcome appearance be- 
cause it means that very soon a vast, kaleidoscopic proces- 
sion of birds will come trooping from the south. 

Phoebe is very often known as the "Bridge-Bird," not 
the kind of "bridge" with which so many people of this day 
are familiar, but the good, old-fashioned bridge that spans 
a stream or gully. Such a bridge, with large logs for 
stringers and planks for a surface, crosses a little brook 
along which I like to wander. Each year, for as long a 
time as any living person can remember, Phoebes have 
nested under this. Of course, new nests are built each sea- 
son, but they have usually been in the same spot, — above a 
slight projection on the side of one of the logs. The nest 
is gradually built up of pellets of mud, held together with 
grasses and mosses. Sometimes the outside is almost wholly 
of green moss, giving a most beautiful effect. The inside 
of the structure may be lined either with grass or feathers. 
The four or five eggs are a clear, creamy white usually with 
no markings, although sometimes very faint specks will 
show on the large end. 

Besides under bridges, Phoebes make their nests in 
niches in cliffs, under sheds and barns, under overhanging 
banks, among the stones of old cellar walls, in fact any- 



T 



52 





Fig. 43. NEST OF PHOEBE. 
This nest is under the bridge shown in Fig. 42. 



53 

where so that the nest will be shaded and protected from 
sight and the weather. 

Because of the comparative darkness of the situations 
they choose, in which to build their homes, it is quite difficult 
to make satisfactory pictures of Phoebes feeding their 
young. Not only that, but the birds are so active that it 
is difficult to show the feeding process even though the 
light were good. Usually, reflected sunlight from a large 
mirror has to be used to secure illumination sufficient to 
make an instantaneous exposure. A picture of a Phoebe 
sitting upon its nest in a shed is shown, taken in this man- 
ner; also a picture of the eggs in the nest, taken by having 
another mirror inverted above the nest. 

When a suburban trolley line crossed a certain brook, 
they put in very heavy iron girders for the foundation. A 
pair of Phoebes took a liking to this spot and built their 
moss-covered house on the lower flange of one girder. Here 
they laid their eggs and reared the family. Cars passed 
every thirty minutes, or as regularly as street cars usually 
go to such a schedule, on rails but two feet above the head 
of the mother as she sat upon the nest. The bird must have 
been entirely devoid of nerves for she never moved as the 
cars rumbled overhead with a clatter and roar that sounded 
fearful from underneath. I spent several hours under 
there and I was very glad to leave at the end of that time. 
A mirror situated on the bank below the bridge was used 
to throw a spot of light on the nest. The camera was set 
on a tripod in the water, which was only about six inches 
deep, while I had to crouch on a few small stones and try 
to keep my balance. Some cloth, tacked to the planking 
above and draping down to the water screened the camera 
and myself from the birds. From time to time, I had to 
push the mirror slightly so as to keep the little spot of sun- 
light where it would cover the nest. It was a very easy mat- 
ter to secure pictures of the mother as she stood on the edge 



54 




Fig. 44. PHOEBE ON NEST. 



This nest is on a beam in a shed. Sun was thrown on it by 
a large mirror. 



55 




Fig. 45. NEST AND EGGS OF PHOEBE. 



This is the same nest shown in Fig. 44. Two mirrors were 
used,— one to reflect sunlight and the other above the nest to 
show the eggs. 



56 




Fig. 46. PHOEBE AND HER FAMILY. 

Taken just after feeding, by reflected sunlight. The actual 
feeding was always done white the bird was hovering and ivas 
too rapid to be photographed in 1-100 of a second. 



of the nest looking at the extraordinary light that shone 
from the bank, but I was not able to get a satisfactory pic- 
ture of her actually feeding the little ones. In fact, most 
of the time, she would hover over the nest and feed them 
while a-wing, then drop to the edge and watch either the 
lens or the light. 




Fig. 47. This Phoebe nest was in an old cellar hole. 



58 




59 




Fig. 49. NEST AND EGGS OF BARN SWALLOW. 

Always lined with soft feathers. 

The male bird did not come to the nest at all, while I was 
there, but he encouraged his mate to do so for he would 
stand outside, flirt his tail and utter many a harsh "phoe-be" 
as she was going under the bridge; he also often gave a 
rather pretty trill as she came out, just as though he were 
praising her for her bravery in going where he dared not. 
Most of the food brought to the nest was small moths that 
were caught flying over or about the edges of the brook. 



Barn Swallow 

Just as the Phoebe is the "Bridge-bird," so this is a bird 
of the barn. Before the advent of civilized man, they 
dwelt in caves or in hollow trees. So wholly have they now 
adapted themselves to man's ways that I have never seen, 
nor have I heard of an instance for many years, of one of 
their nests except in a building constructed by human 
hands. 



60 




Fig. 50. NEST OF BARN SWALLOW. 



Taken by reflected sunlight, and a second mirror above the 
nest to shoiv the eggs. 



01 




Fig. 51. A DOUBLE NEST. 

Note that these nests are placed on a mowing machine knife. 
It is well to provide projections in suitable places for these birds 
to build upon. 



Barn Swallows make their nests or pellets of mud held to- 
gether- with bits of straw; bit by bit, these are attached to 
the side of a beam until the half-bowl-shaped structure is 
complete; the inside is always very warmly lined with soft 
feathers from barnyard fowls. Sometimes these nests are 
plastered to beams that are fairly smooth, and in such cases 
are very apt to be loosened and fall. Usually a very rough 
beam or a spot where there is a splinter or a nail projecting, 



62 



is chosen. One of our pictures shows a nest that is built 
on the cutter of a mowing machine, this having been laid 
across two nails. Many farmers, realizing the value of 
these birds about their places, nail small bits of board to 
the bottom of some of the beams, so as to give their little 
friends a firm foundation for their homes. 

Time after time, I have hidden in a hay mow just to 
watch these exceedingly graceful creatures as they skimmed 
in through the barn door, swept upward and landed, light 
as feathers, on the edge of their nests. Always, as they 
glided through the door, I would hear their musical twitter; 




Fig. 



YOUNG BARX SWALLOWS. 



All from one nest but probably belonging to two pairs or 
swallows. 

the little birds, waiting in the nest were listening intently 
for that same twitter and were always all standing up with 
wings fluttering and mouths wide open ready to greet their 
parent when he or she arrived. Each parent usually 
brought enough every trip to go the rounds of the hungry 
mouths. The food was composed almost wholly of gnats 
and other tiny insects that can be caught in great quantities 



63 

as the swallows go swooping across the fields or over ponds. 
How I longed to be able to reproduce, with the camera, 
the beautiful scenes that I have witnessed many times at 
Barn Swallow nests, but, unfortunately, they have always 
been in locations where the light did not allow of instanta- 
neous pictures and always where I have been unable to use 
a mirror to reflect light. Their movements, as they thrust 
food in turn down the waiting throats are so very rapid 
that no exposure longer than one one hundredth of a 
second would secure any result except a blur. 

Cliff Swallow 

While the Barn Swallows usually have their homes within 
barns, Cliff Swallows almost as frequently fasten theirs to 
the outsides of such structures, on which account they are 
very generally known as "Eave Swallows." These Swal- 
lows are more gregarious than Barn Swallows ; even in the 
East, where they build under the eaves of buildings, they 
nest in colonies varying from two or three nests to some- 
times as many as fifty on one building. In the West where 
they have not so fully learned the ways of civilization, they 
nest in colonies of thousands, attaching their homes to the 
faces of cliffs. 

Their nests are constructed in the same manner as those 
of Barn Swallows but are of a much different shape. The 
typical Cliff Swallow nest is flask-shaped; it is attached to 
the building or cliff by one side of the rounded bottom, 
which is slightly flattened, and the entrance is through an 
opening in the short neck that protrudes from the upper 
side; again the nest may have no neck but simply a round 
hole in the upper part of the mud dome. The outside has 
a very granular appearance caused by the large pellets of 
mud that are plastered on it. The inside is, of course, lined 
with feathers or grasses. 

Many persons confuse this bird and the latter one, but 
they are very different and easily recognized. This species 
has no swallow or forked tail and has a light patch on the 



64 



rump and one on the forehead, both of which are very easily 
seen even during flight. 

Although I have seen and know of a great many of their 
nesting sights my photographic experiences with these birds 
are limited to one attempt. The nests were under the eaves 
of a large barn, fully thirty feet above ground; time and 
conditions forced me to hold the graflex camera out of a 
tiny window and make exposures in a most awkward atti- 
tude. The eggs of this species are precisely like those of 
the Barn Swallow. — creamy white, profusely spotted with 
reddish-brown. The nests are most commonly located on 
buildings near water; I have found them very commonly 
plastered to the sides of ice houses. 




Fig. 53. LEAST FLYCATCHER. 
Brooding her little ones. 



65 



EXPERT FLYCATCHERS. 
Chebec or Least Flycatcher 

The pair of Least Flycatchers, with which this chapter 
deals, built their nest, as may be very plainly seen in the 
photographs, in an apple tree. This tree was located within 
twenty feet of the house of a friend of mine and also of 
the birds. 

We saw the very foundation built, in fact we noticed 
them carrying almost the first materials that entered into 




Fig. 54. The nest was daintly set among a cluster of green 
apples. 



it. The building of the home occupied the two of them for 
three days. They did not work very steadily for there 
were a great many flies and moths to be caught. The male 
had a favorite lookout perch at the very apex of a pear tree; 
he would often sit there for an hour at a time singing his 



66 



simple and homely song. — just a sharp, snappy "che-bec," 
accompanying each syllable with a quick jerk of his head. 
It was a finely made nest, very firmly quilted together, 
of gray plant fibres, string, horsehair and fine grass, bound 
very tightly to its supporting twigs. A week after the nest 
was completed, it contained three, creamy-colored eggs; 
she laid no more but immediately commenced sitting, hour 




Fig. 55. Many millers, as well as other insects, were fed to 
the young Chebecs. 



after hour and day after day. Sometimes she did not even 
leave at dinner time for her mate was very thoughtful and 
often brought her moths and various kinds of flies. At 
other times he would start from his lookout perch and fly 
over her, with that fluttering flight that flycatchers so often 
affect, just to assure himself that everything went well in 
his home; srt such times he usually uttered the beautiful lit- 



tie trill that these flycatchers often make when they are 
pleased with themselves or their surroundings. 

In due course of time the eggs hatched. When the young 
were ten days old we made our first photographs. The nest 




Fig. 56. The food was quickly thrust far down the throat of 
the hungry bird-baby. 



was about ten feet from the ground, but we pulled the limb 
down and tied it so that their home was only eight feet up. 
We then backed a large covered wagon up close to the nest 
and from within made quite a series of pictures. The little 
mother was brooding the young as we backed the wagon up 
and, although so large an object coming so close must have 
frightened her, she stayed "aboard" the nest until we 
climbed into the wagon and began setting up the cameras 
within three feet of her. 

We soon had everything concealed, except the lenses, by 
large blankets, and the little mother bird paid no more at- 



68 



tention to us. The nest was in an exposed position, where 
the sun shone brightly on it during the forenoon, so she 
brooded the little birds a great deal. She would stand over 
them with wings slightly spread, warding off the fierce 
rays of the sun from her offspring; such was her devotion. 
About every five minutes her mate would brincr some kind 




Fig. 57. When ice placed the little birds on a branch, mother 
Chebec at once fed them and then looked long at the glass "eye" 
staring at her. 



of a winged insect for the little ones, and she would instant- 
ly dart down into the coolness of the foliage below, only to 
return in a few minutes to take up her task. 

This pair of birds and the three young remained about 
the orchard until the end of summer; the next year a pair, 
and I think it was the same, had a nest within a few feet 
of where the other was, but this time it was placed where 
the sun did not shine on it at all; had she remembered the 
suffering of the previous year? 



69 




Fig. 58. Father Chebec was in such a hurry that he trod all 
over one of the little birds ivhile feeding the other. 



A Family of Redstarts 

The morning of one June day found me threading my 
way along a narrow footpath that wound its way in and out 
through one of the most delightful pieces of woodland that 
ever echoed a bird song. As I walked slowly along, I was 
separating, by their voices, the many varieties of birds 
whose babble filled the woodland with melody. 

A gleam of orange and black among the foliage, pro- 
claims the presence of a Redstart, that alert member of the 
warbler family whose habits are so like those of some of the 
flycatchers. He was in the act of tearing fragments from 
a caterpillar nest ; this material he carried across the path 
to a small maple about twenty feet from me and wound it 
about the framework of a nest that he and his mate had 
just commenced. While he was so engaged, his partner 
appeared with a load of plant fibres which she carefully 
and skilfully weaved into the growing home. 



70 




Fig. 59. MALE REDSTART AND FAMILY 



He was perfectly fearless and came as regularly as though ice 
icere not present. 



71 

Seating myself under the shade of a bush not more than 
ten feet away I enjoyed a two hour lesson in the art of 
nest-building. The male was an unusually bright-colored 
bird; he was very proud and conceited too. His mate was 
also very beautiful, even though less gaily clad than he. 
Undoubtedly she knew more about correct house building 
than Mr. Redstart, but he did not think so, and whenever 
she objected to his manner of doing the work, he promptly 
drove her away with playful snappings of his bill. In the 
end, she had her way as is usual in such differences, for 
when he went off for more material she would do his work 
over to suit herself. 

They were exceedingly active in all their movements, 
their actions as they chased one another about being bewil- 
dering. Naturally, with so much play, the nest grew but 
slowly, and it was over a week from the time the founda- 
tion was laid before the trim little structure was completed. 
A week later, four possibilities of future Redstarts occupied 
the nest. As there were many squirrels about and the woods 
were often frequented by boys, I concluded it well to at 
least get one photographic record of the nest in case any- 
thing should happen to it. It was located only about four 
feet above ground and I had not the least difficulty in get- 
ting a good likeness of the female as she descended to the 
eggs. 

The male bird, at this time, was literally "out of a job," 
for I never saw him assist her in the duties of incubation 
and only once while I was present did he bring her anything 
to eat. He spent his time in the tops of the trees, singing, 
dashing after insects and driving away birds that came too 
near him. With the advent of the young, came an end to 
his period of loafing and he did his duty manfully and with 
much enthusiasm. 

The actions of the two birds, in the presence of the cam- 
era, were quite different. The male showed a disdain fo* 



72 




Fig. 60. FEMALE REDSTART. 



it that was amusing. I had arrived during his absence and 
had my head under the cloth focussing on the nest when I 
felt a little rush of air, a streak of orange flashed across 
the ground glass screen and the male was bending over his 
children. How I longed to reproduce the picture that 
showed on the screen as he fed each of his little ones in 
turn, his wings quivering in his enthusiasm and his tail 
opening and closing like a fan. The pictures were not 




Fig. 61. BROODING THE LITTLE ONES. 



made from the tent, I being concealed in a bush about ten 
feet away and making exposures by means of a long tube 
to release the shutter. Several times he lit upon the camera 
and once he swung upon the long rubber tube for several 
seconds. I made quite a number of pictures of him but 
many were failures because of the rapidity of his move- 
ments. His mate was much more cautious in her manner 
of approach, in fact she seemed to fear the camera more 
than she had when I made her picture before, but after she 
became acquainted with me she was very tame. The quar- 
tet of youngsters were very bright. When they were a week 
old, their curiosity was fully developed. They had just the 
faintest suspicion of feathers on them, their almost bald 
heads looking very comical as they hung them over 
the edge of the nest and watched their parents foraging. 



74 



They were naughty too. at times, as is shown by the picture 
of the mother trying to brood them. She turned and 
twisted and poked at them in her endeavors to keep them 
under her, but they would insist on sticking their heads out 
to see what was going on. The one on the right really looks 
as though he were laughing at her vain attempts to control 
him. 

The nest, which was plenty large enough for the eggs 
and for the little birds in their first stages, is shown by the 
pictures of the male feeding them, to be entirely too small 
to accomodate them as they get larger. We cannot but pity 
the poor little fellow that is vainly trying to push his way 
up, but we may rest assured that when it comes his turn to 
be fed, he will not be forgotten. At no time, while I was 
watching them, did they feed the little birds upon large 
insects such as many of the smaller birds frequently do. 
All food brought seemed to be small winged insects or little 
caterpillars that they picked up from the ground. 




Fig. 62. A pair of Bluebirds on the top of their nesting post. 



75 



BLL'K SKIES AND BLUE BIRDS. 
The Bluebird 

A sweet melodious warble, a flash of the brightest of 
blue and there upon the decayed end of an apple bough, 
sits one of our very best of friends, the Bluebird. As we 
watch, he disappears within the opening, — surely fortune 
smiles upon us, for the nest hole is barely above the head, — 
an ideal place for using the camera. 

True, the nest is on the north side of the tree and conse- 
quently in rather a dark place, but we are prepared for such 
emergencies and in a few minutes, the reflection from a 




Fig. 63. BLUEBIRD AT ITS NEST-HOLE. 



76 




Fig. 64. A BLUEBIRD PORTRAIT. 



Illuminated by reflected sunlight from a large mirror. This 
nest was on the north side of the tree in shadoiv so that without 
the mirror pictures could not have been secured. 



77 



large mirror makes the place as light as though it were in 
the bright sunlight. 

We soon have the camera in readiness and retire to a 
place of concealment behind the next tree, holding a long 
black linen thread the other end of which is attached to a 
little device to spring the shutter. As the male bird flits to 
and fro in the sunlight, his blue coat is dazzling in its bril- 




Fig. 65. YOUNG BLUEBIRDS. 



liancy. His sombre colored but equally melodious mate is 
very anxious to examine her household but evidently is 
afraid the square box in front of her door is some sort of a 
trap. She makes a great many false starts but each succes- 
sive move brings her a little nearer to the goal until at last 
she gathers all her courage and alights on the nesting hole. 



78 




Fig. 66. IN THE DOORWAY. 




Fig. 67. MOTHER BLUEBIRD AND HER YOUNG 



79 




Fig. 68. Bluebirds like bird boxes if the English sparrows are 
kept aivay. 



Instantly a dazed expression comes over her. Something 
is wrong. She looks long and steadily at the dazzling re- 
flection coming from down in the grass, then peeks around 
the limb at the sun that is still doing duty in its proper 
place. The problem proved too great for her or else she 
lacked the time to study over it longer, for she dived down 
to her nest to see how her little ones were faring. 

A certain twig on a dead limb of the next tree, was a 



n 



80 




Fig. 69. AX UNUSUAL SIGHT. 

These Bluebirds nested in one arm of this scare-crow. 

favorite perch for her. It allowed her a clear view of the 
ground for thirty feet about; often she would drop into the 
grass and capture grasshoppers or caterpillars and bear 
them off to the nest. The male bird, because of fear, abso- 
lutely refused to have his portrait made. He often brought 
morsels of food and gave them to his mate to carrv to the 



81 



little ones, — rather ungallant of Mr. Bluebird to thus expose 
his mate to fancied dangers he dare not face. 

Another pair of Bluebirds has nested annually, for 
\( irs. in the top of a certain fence post. This same nest 
has, on several occasions, furnished a little joke at the ex- 
pense of some of my friends. As we approached the field 
in which this post was located, I would casually remark 
that I had a little Bluebird-friend that would allow me to 




Fig. 70. The sleeve of scare-crow opened so as to show the 
nest and eggs. 



put my arm about her without any attempt to get away. 
Naturally such a statement would be viewed with some 
doubt and I would be called upon for proof. The proof 
was easy, for I had but to step up to the post and put my 
arm about it, the bird at the time being sitting closely upon 
the eggs within. Usually two broods a year were reared in 
"this secure home. 



82 

Little bluebirds have blue backs and brownish breasts, 
like their parents but, like all members of the thrush fam- 
ily to which Bluebirds belong, they have spotted breasts 
and more or less spotting on their backs. This plumage is 
lost at the first moult and they become just like their par- 
ents. 

Bluebirds do not always nest in hollow trees or fences: 




Fig. 71. BLUEBIRD. 



many a boy or girl has a little bird box built expressly for 
their use, and they are very glad to use them if English 
sparrows can be kept from pestering them. They also 
sometimes build in very odd places as can be seen by the 
photographs of the nest in the sleeve of a scarecrow. 

Blue Jay 
Blue Jays always seem like old friends to me. I have 
seen a great many of them under all conditions of life. I 



83 




Fig. 72. NEST AND EGGS OF BLUE JAY. 
The Blue Jay usually nests in pine trees. 



have watched them through field glasses; I have looked at 
them over the sights of a gun; I have watched them on the 
ground glass of a camera ; and I have kept them' and 
watched them in captivity. 

One morning, about the middle of May, two men might 
have been seen going along a certain pine-covered hillside. 
Their actions were peculiar for they stopped and looked 
sharply into each tree as they passed. It was very promis- 
ing ground for Blue Jay nests and, to tell the truth, that 
is just what these men were looking for. 

A bird slipped quietly out of the far side of one of the 
pines, but the sharp eyes of my companion caught sight of 



84 




85 

the flash of blue and he exclaimed, "Here it is!" About 
six feet from the ground was quite a large nest built of 
black twigs and rootlets, and in it were live, greenish-gray 
eggs covered with darker spots. Not a sound came from 
the bird that had so silently disappeared. Jays are not 
birds to needlessly advertise their homes when there is the 
possibility that they may escape notice. 

Two days later the eggs had hatched and by Memorial 
Day the little Javs were readv to leave their nest. After 




Fig. 



DINNER TIME. 



having posed for their pictures they were released, except 
one that went home with us where he stayed for the three 
following years. A few of this bird's deeds and misdeeds 






86 




Fig. 75. Young Jays in Nest. 



87 



may serve to interest and give an insight into the true nature 
of all jays. 

Who first gave this bird a name and why it was given, no- 
body knows, but almost from the first day it was known as 
Kitty. Part of a room was screened off, including a large 
window, for the exclusive use of Kitty, and several small 
trees and a little pine were introduced so as to allow for 
exercise. The first two weeks, Kitty had to be fed very 
often; when anyone was in the room, she would hop about 
after them with wide-open mouth and fluttering wings, al- 
ways begging for more. Bread and milk, eggs and bits of 




Fig. 76. The Jays become too large for their home and are 
crowded out on the neighboring branches. 



raw meat seemed perfectly satisfactory to her if they came 
in large enough doses and at frequent intervals. It was 
about three weeks before Kitty could fly strongly and then 
her mischievousness began to assert itself at every oppor- 
tunity. 

Kitty seldom made typical jay calls or whistles but she 



88 



had a very great many notes of her own and would some- 
times whistle and warble continuously for an hour at a time, 
at times striking combinations of notes that sounded very 
pretty. Wild jays, especially in Spring, often talk among 
themselves with low whistles, with an effect very similar to 
Kitty's song. She never used the loud, harsh, jay scream 
unless angered or greatly excited; if a dog came into the 
room, she was a typical, wild jay and would raise her crest 
and scream at the top of her voice. She had two whistles 




Fig. 77, The day after leaving home. 



that were used to denote gratification, usually when she had 
played a joke on some one; always, when giving these she 
would bob up and down on her legs in the most ludicrous 
manner. 

Many a ball player might have taken lessons, to advan- 
tage, from Kitty; she never missed catching in her beak, 
peanuts, kernels of corn or pennies, as they were tossed to 
her. She was a regular miser and pennies were hid in 
crevices all over her room ; she also stored up, the same as 
wild jays do, quantities of food so as to be provided for a 
rainy day. 



89 



If I happened to be talking to anyone in the room, she 
would bide her time until we were not watching her, then 
swoop down between us so that a wing would sweep across 
our faces; if we were startled and dodged, as usually hap- 




Fig. 78. 
accord 



Three days before they left the nest, of their own 



pened, she would dance up and down and whistle in her 
ecstacy. She was fond of bright colored objects, especially 
if they were on ladies' hats. One day a lady went into the 
room wearing imitation cherries on her hat. Kitty was quite 
fond of cherries but had never had them served that way be- 
fore. She did not, however, complain about the service but 
landed right in the middle of the bunch and commenced to 
hammer away with all her might. Fortunately for me, I 
got her away before any damage was done. 

One day a live Barred Owl was brought to me and was 
placed in the room outside of Kitty's portion. Kitty's 
greatest delight was to escape from her apartment when we 
opened the door to feed her. By a sudden dash, she got 
her freedom on the day the owl was brought in. She had 



90 



never seen an owl before but was perfectly willing to take 
a chance on hectoring him. Every time she flew across the 
room she would whistle with glee as he opened his eyes and 
blinked at her. The owl made no attempt to dissuade her 
from her play but I imagine he was saying to himself: "You 
just wait until night, you little blue imp, and I'll wring 
your neck." Of course as Kitty was safely fastened in her 
own apartment before dark, the owl had no opportunity to 
get his revenge. 

It is a pity that such beautiful and interesting birds as 
Blue Jays should be so destructive. They do a great deal 
of useful work in destroying caterpillars but the harm they 
work in destroying eggs and young of other useful birds 
much more than balances the good that they do. Still I 
think that no one would advocate the extermination of jays; 
certainly not until that greatest of all pests, the English 
Sparrow is gotten rid of. 




aPr^ 



Fig. 79. NEST OF RUBY-THR. HUMMINGBIRD. 



91 
MOSS-COVERED HOMES. 
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 

Hummingbirds are creatures of the New World. About 
five hundred species arc found in North and South America. 
They range from Alaska to Patagonia, being most numerous 
in northern South America and in Central America. Only 
sixteen species out of this great number are known to have 
occurred in the United States and but a single species, the 
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, is found east of the Missis- 
sippi River. 

I have always been greatly interested in these "gems." 
In fact, when I was but eight years of age, my interest in 
them led me to capture one in a butterfly net as it flew about 
the flowers in the garden. I thought I had a most wonder- 
ful prize, but I am glad to say that my parents quickly in- 
duced me to release it. As usual with all ornithologists at 
that time, my early investigations were made chiefly from 
a covetous standpoint. Much was learned, but knowledge 
so gained does not compare in value witli that obtained when 
the possessive instinct is ignored. 

There is a very prevalent idea that Hummingbirds subsist 
entirely upon the honey or nectar of flowers; such a diet 
would soon ruin the digestive organs of any kind of bird or 
beast. As a matter of fact, nectar forms a very small per- 
centage of hummingbird food. Instead of sipping the 
honey from the flowers they visit, they usually are engaged 
in the very useful occupation of eating the many tiny in- 
sects that gather in such places. It is well known that most 
flowers that secrete nectar are partially or wholly dependent 
upon certain insects to carry pollen from one blossom to the 
stigma of another and so effect cross-fertilization; these 
useful insects are usually large, long-tongued ones like bees, 
moths and butterflies. So in destroying the tiny insects, 
hummingbirds perform a service to the plants by removing 
pilfering insects that do no good, and to mankind also. 



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92 




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93 

I have always believed that nests of this hummingbird 
contain a greater amount of labor, are better made and are 
very much more beautiful than nests of any other kinds of 
birds. I have had many excellent opportunities to watch 
them during their home-building. 

One day I saw a "hummer" buzzing about under some 
ferns, within a few inches of the ground; she was gathering 
the soft, downy wool that sheathes the young fronds and is 
often left hanging to the stems of older ferns. When she 
had a tiny load of this in her slender bill, she whizzed away 
with it ; fortunately I was able to keep track of her rapid 
flight and saw her land on a limb about twenty feet above 
ground. She had just commenced her work, barely enough 
of the future nest showing to be seen with the field glasses. 

She was quite industrious but she only gathered tiny 
loads at a time and it took her quite a long while to find the 
material, so that building was a very slow operation. At 
the end of three days, the walls of the nest had just com- 
menced to assume a recognizable form. 

Sometimes she brought little masses of whiter, finer ma- 
terial even than the "wool," probably cobwebs; this evident- 
ly held the balance of the material more closely together. 
I never saw her mate anywhere near the nest during its 
construction, but he did appear and help defend the home 
after the little "hummers" appeared. 

The decorating of the outside of the nest was the most 
interesting part of the work. She seemed to be exceedingly 
particular about the appearance of each piece of lichen that 
was glued in place. Often she would buzz up and down and 
around the trunks of several trees before she could find a 
piece to her liking. 

When finished, she had a bit of bird architecture of which 
she was justly proud. Greens predominated in the lichens 
that grew on this tree, and all the pieces that were on her 
nest were of the same shade. Without seeing her going to 
it, nobody would have suspected that the little tuft of moss 
was other than a natural growth on the limb. 



94 



It was just ten days from the time the structure was 
commenced, when it was finished. In four days more, there 
were two little white eggs, just the size and shape of small 
pea-beans, laying in the soft little cup. In sixteen days 




Fig. 81. You can imagine how crowded this nest 
was before the first of the two young left. 



more, there emerged from these eggs, two tiny, naked mites, 
looked anything except like the little feathered jewels into 
which they were to develop. The little birds remained in 
the nest three weeks. At the end of the first week, tiny 
little pin feathers had commenced to appear; in two weeks 
they looked like little cushions stuck full of pins. From 
this time until they left, their feathers blossomed out very 
rapidly and they were transformed from the little helpless 



95 

mites into lusty little birds bigger than the nest could com- 
fortably hold. 

For two weeks they were fed entirely by regurgitation, — 
on food pre-digested by the parents. This feeding process 
is one of the most peculiar sights in bird-dom. The parent 
stands on the edge of the nest, erect and neck stretched to 
the utmost so as to get the slender bill into the mouth of the 
little one. The head is worked vigorously and the food 
"pumped in." It is a process that looks a great deal more 
like a surgical operation than like a dinner party. 

Hummingbirds, tiny as they are, have violent and easily 
aroused tempers ; no bird is more courageous nor as quick 
to attack man, bird or beast that threatens its home. With 
excited "chipperings," they will often dash right at your 
face like little winged bullets, so that you invariably dodge. 
They stop when a few inches away, but there is always the 
uncertainty so that one does not dare keep still to see if 
they would strike. 

Hummers are quite cleanly in their habits. I never saw 
them bathe in pools of water, but I have seen them 
moistened as though with dew from the leaves, and then 
seen them taking "dust baths" to dry themselves. It is 
believed that our Hummingbird has a preference for bright 
red colors and that they like particularly well to feast from 
the depths of the cardinal flower, trumpet creeper and 
other gaudy, long-tubed blossoms of that hue. However, 
we find them very commonly about many of the garden and 
wild flowers of other colors and about apple, pear and 
cherry trees when they are in bloom. 

Anna Hummingbird. 

One of the most common of the several hummingbirds 
found in California is called the Anna Hummingbird. It 
is slightly larger than our eastern bird and the male has a 
fiery-pink throat and crest, — a beautiful little species. 

As a rule I believe that this species is even more tame 



96 




Fig. 82. ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD. 



than the Ruby-throat. I have known of many instances of 
their flying to the flowers on ladies' hats, thinking that they 
were real ones. They also show a partiality or preference 
for a close acquaintance with mankind as they very often 
build their nests in vines on trellises or piazzas of dwellings. 
Their nests are made of woolly plant fibres held together, 
especially on the outside with cobwebs. The outside has 
little or no moss or lichen ornamentation. These nests are 
usually built at low elevations, most often under ten feet 
above ground, while I have found nests of the Ruby- 
throat at least sixty feet up. 



97 



Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. 

These charming little birds are very common in the 
southern half of the United States. Their body is but little 
bigger than that of a hummingbird, but a rather long tail 
makes the total length of the bird a great deal more. 

Their call notes can often be heard coming from the high 
trees that they like to frequent. It is a sound that would 




Fig. 83. XEST OF BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS. 



escape the notice of many observers, — not loud and with an 
insect-like quality that might cause it to be overlooked, — a 
rather, twanging, high-pitched mew. Their song is a mixed 
medley of faint noises, not worthy of the name of a song, 
but it expresses their pleasure and. to them, it may be as 



98 

beautiful as the efforts of our most accomplished musicians. 

Although their vocal efforts may not appeal to us, they 
have two claims to notice that cannot be ignored, — their 
graceful beauty and their nest-building ability. Slim, 
graceful, with a soft blending of blue-gray, black and white, 
they create an impression that, coupled with their agility, 
matching that of the Chickadee, calls forth our admiration. 

I have said that the nest of our hummingbird is one of 
the most beautiful bird creations. The Blue-gray Gnat- 
catcher nest is almost a perfect reproduction of the hummer- 
nest but on a much larger scale. While the nest of the 
hummingbird is small even in proportion to its maker, that 
of the gnatcatcher is rather large for the size of the bird; 
that is, the outside of the nest, the whole bulk of it, is large; 
but the walls are very thick so that the little, very deeply- 
cupped interior is hardly big enough to accomodate the lit- 
tle bird and the four or five beautiful, white, brown-specked 
eggs that she lays. 

While you may see gnatcatchers feeding on the lower 
limbs of trees or among the underbrush, they like high ele- 
vations and it is usually high up in the trees, on horizontal 
branches, that the exquisite moss-covered homes are placed. 

Wood Pewee. 

Belonging to an entirely different family, but still build- 
ing the same type of moss-adorned nest, is the Wood Pewee. 
These are among the commonest of the flycatchers ; they are 
called pewees because of the song they sing so often during 
the summer months, — a very clearly whistled "pee-ah-wee; 
(short pause) peeeee-wee." 

Xearly every small piece of woods has its pewees and 
often we find them in orchards. Each bird has a favorite 
perch or two, — dead twigs that give them a good view of 
the surrounding territory. They perch on these for hours at 
a time, occasionally dashing out after a luckless miller or 
bee that happens to pass within sight of their keen eyes; 



99 




Fig. 84. NEST OF WOOD PEWEE. 



100 



ever and anon their plaintive "pee-ah-wee" rings out, often 
with clock-like regularity. 

It is, however, with Wood Pewee homes that we are at 
present concerned. These are, as I have said, moss-covered, 
but they are very inferior in construction to those either of 
the Hummingbird or Gnatcatcher. The bulk of the nest 
is made out of coarse plant fibres, not so perfectly quilted 
together and very shallow as compared to the nests of the 
other birds mentioned. .The outside has less moss attached 
and it is not done in as firm a manner. 

Still these nests, saddling quite large limbs as they do, 
are very difficult to see. If one has patience they are, how- 
ever, very easy to find, especially if the nest happens to 
contain a full set of the creamy white eggs with their sharp, 
brown specks. You have but to watch either of the owners. 
Should you chance to be observing the female, she will prob- 
ably go to the nest within a few minutes; should it be the 
male bird that you are watching, he will probably quite 
quickly betray the hiding place of the nest, for he is very 
attentive to his mate and often carries food to her as she 
sits on the eggs. 

All flycatchers have a metallic little trill that they utter, 
usually when they are very happy and sometimes under 
stress of excitement; the female pewee gives it as she settles 
on her nest and the male usually does as he goes to feed 
her. I have found the greater number of their nests built 
on horizontal limbs of oak trees, but I have sometimes, too, 
found thv • in chestnuts, in maples along roadsides and in 
apple tree . The majorit. lave been located from twenty 
to fifty feet above ground, but I have found one as low as 
eight feet, this one being in an orchard. 



101 




Fig. 85. NEST AND EGGS OF GOLDFINCH. 



102 

















Hw %B^ 










*m % *' "^B 












S^k 







Fig. 86. YOUNG GOLDFINCHES. 



Tfte adults in summer are often called Wild Canaries; their 
song is fully as sweet as that of the canary. 



103 



FAVORITE SONGSTERS 



Robin 

Were a vote to be taken to discover the most popular 
bird in America, fully three-quarters of them would prob- 
ably be registered for the Robin. With the exception of 
Song Sparrows, no other birds found about cities and habi- 
tations, have as extensive a range. We may hear the same 
Robin song in Massachusetts, in California, in Alaska, in 
Labrador or in the Gulf States. To be sure, Robins are 
separated into three sub-species but it is only the hair- 
splitting ornithologist who can tell the difference between 
them and even he must know just where a Robin was taken 
before he can tell which kind it is. 

Robins are migratory birds, but they migrate only just 
so far as is absolutely necessary in order to get food to 
live upon. Many of them pass the winter even in the north- 




Fig. 87. ROBIN ON NEST. 
Many nests are built in such locations. 



104 




Fig. 88. ROBIN NEST. 



A typical nest, the inside construction of which is almost 
wholly of mud. 



105 



era states, where they can get shelter in large cedar swamps. 
It is quite probable that it is the birds from the extreme 
northern parts of their breeding range that winter in 
northern United States, while the birds that breed here 
migrate southwards to the Gulf States. 




Fig. 89. JUST FED BUT STILL HUNGRY. 



Adult Robins return to the same breeding grounds each 
year and are believed to remain mated for life. It is prob- 
able that the young birds become separated from their par- 
ents and from each other and seek new fields on their re- 
turn from the south. 

The song of the Robin is always pleasing, — a loud, roll- 
ing "cheer-up, cheerily cheerily, etc." varied greatly in pitch 
but usually fitting these words. An old rendition of the 







Fig. 90. AN ATTRACTIVE LOCATION. 



English Sparrows pulled the bottom from this nest and the 
tggs fell to the ground. 



107 



Robin song, probably originating in the mind of some phy- 
sician, runs "Kill-him. cure-him; kill-him. cure-him; give 
him physic; quick!" Robins have, however, other notes not 
so pleasing. Their voices are loud and their lungs lusty. 
When they have a real or fancied grievance they can create 
more excitement and make more noise than a dozen of any 
other species of bird. I can speak with authority in regard 
to the volume of noise Robins are capable of making., for 




k V/CHk. 



Fig. 91. INSPECTION. 



they consider placing a camera up in a tree within three 
feet of their home, a real grievance and they call out all 
other birds in the neighborhood to help them proclaim the 
fact. 

I well remember the first Robin nest I ever "tackled" 
photographically, although it was a good many years ago. 
It was on an apple bough perhaps ten feet above ground. 
Tents were not used at that time, but the camera shutter 



108 



was operated from a distant hiding place, by means of a 
very long tube and a very large bulb. This particular pair 
of Robins never did like me, for I had, on several occasions, 
visited nests in adjoining trees, so you can imagine the 
greeting that I received when I climbed into their own tree, 
pulled up the camera and set it with the great staring eye 




Fig. 92. ARE THEY HUNGRY' 



within three feet of their nest. I spent more time and 
energy and had more trouble securing pictures of these par- 
ticular Robins than I have ever experienced with any other 
kind of birds. Curiously enough they did not care so much 
about the camera which was so close to their home as they 
did about me, hiding behind a tree a hundred feet away. 
To make a long story short, I had to cover the camera with 
my focussing cloth and leave it in that tree over night, re- 
turning the next morning with sufficient thread to operate 



109 




Fig. 93. Taken in 1-100 of a second, showing the active move- 
ments of hungry young birds. 



110 



the camera shutter from a distance of three hundred feet. 
I got the pictures but it was an unusual amount of trouble 
to do SO; especially for such common birds as Robins. The 
different temperaments of different birds of the same spe- 
cies is emphasized by the fact that I have since taken Robin 
pictures with no concealment^ from a distance of less than 
six feet. 




Fig. 94. THE NEST ON THE BLIND. 



Most normal Robins place their rudely constructed mud- 
and-grass houses in trees at heights of from six to twenty 
feet from the ground. Of course there are eccentric Robins, 
as well as persons, and some of these depart from the usual 
customs of their kind. We sometimes see their nests in the 
upper branches of elms, fully sixty feet up; I have also 
found them built among roots under overhanging banks. 



Ill 




Fig. 95. Approaching the nest shown in figure 94. 



These represent the extremes of altitude. We have many 
instances of very odd locations a few of which I will men- 
tion. 

Some people consider quantity rather than quality as the 
most important ingredient of music. Such must have been 
the opinions of the Robins that built their nest on a girder 
in a factory where the noise was continuous and deafening. 
They obtained entrance through a broken window pane op- 
posite the girder. It is very strange that they should have 
had the temerity to even enter such a place and stranger 
still that they should choose it for their home. 

A suburban trolley line crosses a brook over a short bridge 






112 



made by heavy iron stringers on which are wooden ties for 
the rails to rest upon. I think that if I were a bird and 
had determined to build a home in any such place, I should 
at least have placed it on one of the stringers between the 
ties where it would have had a secure foundation. Mrs. 
Robin, however, perhaps because she wanted more excite - 




Fig. 96. Sometimes worms were brought 
for the little ones and again mulberries 
from a nearby tree. 



ment and danger, plastered her nest right against the side 
of the rails, so that half rested on the lower flange and half 
on the tie. Cars ran on a half -hour schedule so that every 
fifteen minutes wheels rumbled over the rails within two 
inches of the rim of the nest. The strangest part of this 
nesting was that the nest remained in place and the young 
were successfully reared. While the Robin was incubating 
she always left the nest when cars passed over, at least dur- 
ing the daytime while I was watching ; what she did at night 



113 



can only be conjectured, but I presume from the actions of 
other birds under somewhat similar circumstances, that she 
staved "aboard" the nest and let the cars go over her. 

Another pair of Robins liked city life. They chose a spot 
in the very heart of a large city, where there were large 
lawns from which they could easily extract the earth worms 
so palatable to Robins, young and old, and also near a 
large mulberry tree; with these two handy sources of food 




Fig. 97. I WONDER IF THIS WILL SATISFY HIM. 



supply they felt that they had an ideal location. The only 
objection was the numbers of English Sparrows that are al- 
ways present in cities. The ruffians and our native song 
and insectivorous birds, through no fault of the latter, can 
seldom live peaceably in the same neighborhood. I think 
that these Robins may have previously met with the same 
misfortune that befell the pair that I will next tell about, 
and decided that the best way to avoid further trouble from 
that source was to trust to the protection of mankind. At 



114 




Fig. 98. YOUNG ROBIN. 



Showing the spotted breast common to the young of all mem- 
bers of the Thrush Family even though the adults have un- 
marked ones. 



115 



any rate, for three years in succession, they made their 
nest on the top of a blind on the front piazza of the property 
owner's house. As they were quite neat and did no damage 
they were allowed to remain and furnished a good deal of 
amusement for the family. The birds came and went with- 
out fear even while members of the family were gathered 




Fig. 99. STILL HUNGRY. 



on the piazza directly under the nest. Sparrows were not 
allowed about the house any more than possible, but some- 
times bands of them would mob one of the Robins as it was 
bringing food to its young; the bird could protect itself, 
but usually lost its provender during the melee. 

In the same city, another pair of Robins dwelt. They 
built their nest in an elm tree in front of a large block. A 
picture is shown of this Robin sitting upon the nest, — 



116 




Fig. 100. Veery about to settle upon her greenish-blue eggs. 



117 



taken from a window in the block. English Sparrows con- 
tinually pestered this pair of birds. Although nesting ma- 
terial was abundant on every hand, the sparrows, out of pure 
deviltry, chose to steal it from the Robin rather than pick 
it up from the ground. One after another would slyly steal 
up under the nest, grasp the end of a straw or string, pull 
it from its fastening and, with a gleeful chuckle, fly away 
with it. These depredations continued until the bottom of 
the nest was torn out and the Robin eggs were dashed to the 
paving below. 

Similar tragedies are enacted hundreds of times every 
year in all cities and towns yet we still sometimes meet mis- 
guided people who will undertake to defend the English 
Sparrow. The person who can invent the surest, most ef- 
fective and swiftest means of ridding our country of these 
pests will be one of the greatest benefactors of mankind. 

Veery or Wilson Thrush 

As in the case of a great many of our birds, it is from its 
song that this species receives its name. This song is a de- 
scending spiral of tremulous, reedy whistles, which may be 
interpreted as "Vee-r-r-r-r-y, vee-r-r-r-r-y," the 'veery' be- 
ing repeated perhaps half a dozen times, each making a 
complete turn of the spiral and each being of a lower pitch 
and lesser volume than the preceding. This song may be 
heard at almost all hours of the day and often until after 
dusk in most woodland, during summer. Their call and note 
of protest is a single, tremulous, mournful, ascending whis- 
tle. 

Veeries are perfectly garbed for the life they lead, on or 
near the ground, their backs being almost a perfect match 
in color to dead leaves. 

Veeries build their nests of strips of bark and fine 
grasses, placing them on the ground or very near it; often 
it is set down in the middle of a patch of dead leaves, 
sometimes in the midst of a clump of ferns and often 



118 



against the sides or in the middle of old stumps. The four 
greenish-blue eggs loom up prominently in the deeply-cup- 
ped nest; probably for that reason the bird does not leave 
the nest unless she is seen, for to do so would expose the 
brightly colored eggs to view and result in discovery while 
she can usually escape notice. 

Although I have taken many pictures of Wilson Thrushes 
in many different locations, the one chosen for this sketch 




Fig. 101. VEERY RETURNING TO NEST. 



illustrates one of my very first attempts at bird photogra- 
phy. This nest was situated at the base of a clump of black- 
berry vines, and contained four eggs. The bird proved to 
be more shy than usual and in two weeks time I was able 
to secure but two satisfactory pictures of her. 

The day following its discovery an attempt was made to 
picture the Thrush returning to the nest. The camera was 
set with the lens but two feet distant from the eggs and I 
was concealed in a heap of brush twenty feet away. The 



119 



camera was covered with a green cloth and plentifully 
sprinkled with leaves so as to attract as little attention as 
possible, but undoubtedly it looked to the Veeries bigger 
than a house would to us. 

Both birds were away while T was getting in readiness. 
Upon their return they were greatly astonished to see a 
strange affair standing so near their home. They talked to 
each other about it, in low tones, for several minutes and 
then flew away. In about ten minutes they returned. talk- 




Pig. 102. VEERY ON NEST. 



ed some more and went off again. Evidently they thought 
the camera was something that would remove its unwelcome 
presence after awhile and they were going to wait for it to 

go- 
Just twice during the three days that I was present w r hile 
the nest contained eggs, did the owner visit it, that is to 
actually alight upon the nest. Upon developing the first 
exposure, the nest and eggs appeared beautifully but there 
was not a trace of the Veery although she was standing on 
the edge of the nest when I pressed the bulb. The second 



120 




Fig. 103. VEERY FEEDING HER YOUNG. 



121 



exposure was the one shown here, of the Veery entering 
the nest. 

The next morning the eggs had hatched. I waited until 
the little birds were ten days old before attempting to again 
photograph the parent. She was still very shy but remained 
in sight of the nest all the time, usually with her beak filled 
with food for her babies. Her mate perched on a branch 
hard by and, after scolding for awhile, tried to induce her 
to be brave by singing to her. Sometimes his "veery" song 
would ring out exceedingly loud and clear, and again it 
would be just a faint murmur as though the singer were a 
great ways off, although he sat on the same twig about 
thirty feet distant. 

Finally Mrs. Veery descended to the ground and com- 
menced walking in a circle about the nest, each circuit 
bringing her a little nearer the goal. Every time she came 
to the slender tube running from the camera to my place 
of concealment she would pause and look at it critically, 
then jump over it and turn quickly about to look it over 
again. With her head cocked to one side so comically, I 
could imagine her saying to herself: "It looks like a worm, 
but it can't be, for I never heard of one as long as that is." 
At last she hopped to the nest, all the little heads were ex- 
pectantly raised, mouths wide open like little yellow caverns, 
and my long awaited opportunity had come. 

Several times we went through this operation, but with 
the exception of the picture shown here, the results were not 
satisfactory to me. Several incidents happened to relieve 
the monotony of waiting, — incidents that tended to still 
further alarm and delay the return of an already shy 
mother bird. The thrush was just on the point of approach- 
ing the nest when a fusilade of shots was heard from the 
edge of the woods. Soon a twenty-five year old, overgrown 
boy appeared armed with a small repeating rifle. He pass- 
ed by about twenty yards distant and showed his sporting; 



122 




Fig. 104. You can sometimes approach and take a "time" 
picture of a Wood Thrush without alarming her. 






123 



proclivities by firing at every animate object; when his sup- 
ply of these ran short he would even shoot at the surround- 
ing trees, just for excitement. I kept close watch to see that 
he did not notice the camera for he certainly would have 
tried to hit it. although his enthusiasm far exceeded his 
skill for he missed everything that he fired at while in my 
sight. 

The next diversion was occasioned by one of the several 
cows that were feeding in the swamp. She ambled over 
to the camera and persisted in eating the leaves off the 
branches with which I had covered it, and seemed to take it 
unkindly when I was forced to drive her away to protect 
the camera. 



Wood Thrush 

This is the largest and handsomest of our true thrushes 
and, in my estimation, has a much sweeter and more pleas- 
ing song than any of the others, not excepting the famous 
Hermit Thrush that I have often heard both in breeding 
grounds and during migrations. The Wood Thrush song is 
one impossible of adequate description, — -clear and flute- 
like, the notes coming after regular pauses, usually in 
groups of threes, the last one of which is often held and 
vibrated. These birds are heard at their best early in the 
morning and again just as darkness closes in about the 
woods. 

The Wood Thrush nest reminds one somewhat of that of 
the Robin. A small percentage of mud also enters into its 
construction, but not nearly as much as Robins use. The 
bulk of the nest is composed of grasses, rootlets and a few 
leaves. It is usually located in underbrush, where it is 
shaded by taller trees, at heights of from six to ten feet 
from the ground. The birds are usually very tame whil^ 
setting, often allowing you to touch them before they will 
leave the nest. After they have left, however, it is difficult 
to induce them to return while vou are near. I have not 



124 




Fig. 105. YOUNG WOOD THRUSH. 



yet been able to photograph them feeding their young, 
probably because I have not yet met the "right" bird. 

While eggs of the Veery are of a greenish-blue,, resem- 
bling in size and shape those of Catbirds, eggs of the Wood 
Thrush are of that peculiar color known as ''Robin-egg' 
blue and most nearly resemble eggs of Robins. 



125 




Fig. 106. WOOD THRUSH ON NEST. 

They sit so closely that sometimes you may touch them before 
they will leave the eggs. 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 
The male of this species is always popular with bird lov- 
ers, for he is very handsome, is always cheerful and has a 
beautiful song. The female is popular too with those who 
know her, but she is dressed so differently from her mate 
and so inconspicuously, like a big sparrow, that she is sel- 
dom noticed. The Grosbeak song is similar to, but readily 



126 



im 




'Mb 




*H@b^An 


Rk^. Kf 







Fig. 107. NEST OF GROSBEAK 

The eggs are pale greenish-blue 
blotched with reddish brown. 



distinguished from and of better character than that of thp 
Robin. His song is always preceded by a sharp chip, usual- 
ly about two seconds before the song proper commences. 

The Grosbeak nest is rather rudely and scantily construct- 
ed of rootlets. It is normally placed in bushes or small 
trees from six to fifteen feet up. They, however, frequent- 



127 




Fig. 108. FEMALE GROSBEAK ON NEST. 

She looks like a big sparrow,— not at all like her beautiful 
mate. 



ly make their homes within city limits and m such cases 
often build high up in large trees. The four eggs are 
greenish-blue, covered with brown spots. 

The male grosbeak is considered, especially by the ladies, 
as a model bird-husband. He does at least half the work in 
constructing the home and he sits upon the eggs about as 
often and as long as his mate does. He is of a jovial dispo- 
sition and likes his task so well that he commonly sings 
while sitting on the nest. I have located a number of their 
nests by searching for the singer. His song, when thus 
engaged is usually much lower in tone, as though he feared 



128 







Fig. 109. Male Grosbeak with food for his tiny little ones. 



he would disclose the hiding place of the home, but he 
must sing anyway. 

I have often seen it stated that the female grosbeak sings, 
too, but I have never seen one do so. The vear-old males 
very closely resemble the female in plumage. Probably it 
is the songs of these young males that are often accredited 
to the females. I was delighted on one day in June whef. 
I happened to come across a Grosbeak nest at an elevation 
of only about four feet from the ground. Here was the 
opportunity 1 had been awaiting and I could, in imagination, 
see a whole series of beautiful pictures illustrating the horn- 
life of grosbeaks. Alas ! The best of plans go astray. 1 






129 



happened to have my camera with me when the nest was 
discovered and, as the female was at the time sitting on her 
eggs, I carefully moved up to within about four feet, focus- 
sed the camera and made an exposure of her. The next day 
I took my tent and complete outfit in order to get a good 
series of her approaching the nest. Not a sign of nest or 
eggs was in sight. Undoubtedly my "find" was found bj 
some youthful oologist and the grosbeak nest and eggs wert 
to grace (or disgrace) his cabinet. 





1 VUl 


" tm»m nr 1 1 


SB® ^ ^ 


I * *— A 





Fig. 110. NEST OF CATBIRD. 



130 




Fig. 111. CATBIRD OX HER NEST. 



131 



BIRD MIMICS 

Catbird 

You cannot judge the disposition of a person by his 
clothes, neither can you judge that of a bird by its feath- 
ers. A soft gray suit and black cap is the garb worn by 
the Catbird,— raiment that might indicate its wearer to be 
a quiet, Quaker-like bird although in reality no other has a 
more irrascible temper than our Catbird. A perfect model 
of propriety when everything is in accord with his tempera- 
ment but a real virago and scold when the least thing goes 
amiss. 

I always like to listen to the Catbird song. It is a song 




Fig. 112. A real virago if you provoke her to anger; and her 
ire is very easily aroused. 



132 







Fig. 113. Her eyes snap as they watch your every move. No t 
a sound from her until she leaves the nest,— then beware. 

such as no other bird is capable of giving. The Mocking- 
bird has a clearer, sweeter and more lengthy song but it can- 
not compare with that of the Catbird in its variety of notes, 
musical and otherwise, or the absolute indifference to rhyme, 
rhythm or reason with which it is delivered. The song can- 
not be written or even adequately described for it is never 
twice alike and seems to be made up on the spur of the 
moment. 



133 



They often perch in the tops of bushes and sing for an 
hour or more at a time, — wings and tail drooping, head 
erect and eyes half closed. From between the half-opened 
bills, come selections from the songs of robins, thrushes, 
of wagon wheels, mewing of cats, clucking and cackling 
of hens and noises of his own invention like nothing ever 
before heard. 




Fig. 114. NO SIGN OF FEAR IN THIS POSE. 



Catbirds build quite large and substantial nests of small 
twigs, rootlets and shreds of bark; the bowl-shaped inter- 
ior is lined with slender black rootlets and on these the four 
greenish-blue eggs are laid. The female is very loathe to 
leave her nest while setting and will usually allow anyone 
to almost touch her before she glides off the eggs. Once 



134 



off, however, her anger is unrestrained and she gives her 
opinion of you in strident tones that alarm the bird popula- 
tion for a long distance around. Catbird anger is not ex- 
pressed solety in noise either; I have seen a chipmunk run- 
ning for his life to escape from the attacks of a pair that 
had caught him in the bushes near their nest; I have seen 
them dash furiously at a black snake, that was hunting 
among the branches for egg-dainties, until he was forced to 




Fig. 115. YOUNG CATBIRD. 



slip to the ground and flee ; and I have had one of them come 
screaming at me and peck at my fingers as I reached 
through the briers to feel what was in a nest. Their most 
effective note of protest is a loud, whining "tschay" re- 
peated as fast as they can get their breath and sometimes 
drawn out into a continuous scream. 

My experiences at photographing Catbirds have been 
many and varied; I have had a lot of the experience and 
got but few of the pictures. I have not yet induced one to 
return and feed its young while I had a camera in position 



135 




Fig. 116. BROWN THRASHER ON NEST. 



before the nest. When without a camera I have, a number 
of times, hidden beside Catbird nests and watched the 
parents performing their various household duties. There 
are "good" Catbirds and "bad" ones; it is just as impossible 
to photograph one of the latter class as it is to portray a 
naughty child. 



Brown Thrasher 

The Thrasher is also something of a mimic but not as ac- 
complished a performer in that line as the Catbird. He 
has, however, a much better and more characteristic song of 
his own. 

Early one morning I was making my way along a side 
hill, through sweetfern and briers and around scrub oaks 



136 




P3 

H 

w 

B 

Eh 
O 

fa 

o 

o 

H 

Q 

Eh 

oa 



137 



and thorn bushes. The shadow of a bird overhead caused 
me to glance up just in time to see the long, bright-rufous 
tail of a Thrasher disappear in a bush a short distance away. 
Naturally 'as I passed, I parted the leaves to see what she 
was doing there. I was scarcely prepared for the "hornet- 
nest" that I had disturbed. An angry Thrasher confronted 
me, her bright yellow eyes blazing with wrath, her wings 



1 






1 

i 4 


JF- m 4 


/ jHj 


x 


8V*A ( ■ 


/SB*, 





Fig. 118. ON GUARD. 



and tail wide spread. From her cavernous mouth came a 
continuous stream of explosive "chirks," angry, grating 
"Karr-r-r-r-r's" and clearly whistled "wheu's." I had in- 
terrupted her as she was giving her children their break- 
fasts and a Catbird or Thrasher meal cannot be disturbed 
with impunity. 

I stood perfectly still and she scolded until she became 
tired; she gradually quieted down, her ruffled feathers as- 



138 







Fig. 119. She sometimes fed them great black ants. 



sumed their normal positions and the angry glint left her 
eyes. She began to wonder what she had been making all 
the fuss about anyway. I whistled softly to her and, after 
looking at me steadily for a few moments, she answered in 
the same tone. In a few moments more she cleaned the 
nest and left with no concern for my presence. 

I had been on the way to photograph some towhees 
about half a mile farther on but I decided to let the latter 
go a day or two and set up my green tent beside the 
Thrasher nest. I had it in readiness before she returned 



139 



and she paid not the slightest regard to it but went directly 
to the nest. Unfortunately the sun shining through the 
leaves caused a spotty background and made many shadows 
about the nest. Usually it is possible to tie branches out 
of the way so as to get good surroundings and light, but in 
this case they would not admit of so doing. 




Fig. 120. Spiders, too, were often brought to appease the 
hunger of the little thrashers. 



The three young birds were about a week old, — just large 
enough to commence to take an interest in things going 
on about them. They had very acute and discriminating 
hearing; other birds were singing in all directions about us 
but they always heard mother Thrasher's low whistle, 



140 



usually given when she was twenty or thirty feet away 
from the nest. They would prick up their ears and with 
wide-open eyes and mouths opened wider still, each strive 
to be the nearest to her as she hopped to the back edge of 
the nest. 

Mother Thrasher showed no intentional partiality but 
fed her three children in turn. Occasionally she made a 




Fig. 121. Sometimes Thrashers nest on the ground but more 
often in bushes. 



mistake and fed the same one twice in succession. As the 
little fellows grew older they resented such slights. The 
one whose turn it was to be fed would raise his voice in 
noisy protest if a nice, appetizing spider was, by mistake, 
thrust down his brother's throat. As the morsel was imme- 



141 



diately swallowed he had no redress except to peck at his 
brother as soon as his mother left. 

Father Thrasher must have been on a vacation the day 
that I found this nest for I did not see him, but he was in 
evidence on several subsequent days. I never saw him 
feed the little ones, though as a rule both parents share the 
task between them. His plumage was in perfect condition, 
while that of the female Thrasher was worn and several 




Fig. 122. YOUNG BROWN THRASHERS. 



tail feathers were missing, showing that she had borne the 
brunt of the hard work and perhaps fought most of the 
battles of life too. 

It was during the last week in May that I found the fore- 
going nest. The little birds had left it and were scratching 
for themselves early in June, while their parents undertook 
to raise another family. This time they selected a place 
only a short distance from the first one, but they built the 



142 



nest on the ground instead of in the thorn bush that stood 
over it. From the appearance of her plumage, I am sure 
that the female Thrasher was the same one that I had been 
photographing. Either her memory was very poor or some- 
one had frightened her, for she failed to be friendly with me 
any more and refused to return to the second nest while I 
was near. 




Fig. 133. CEDAR WAXWING OX XEST. 



143 
BIRDS OF SILENCE 

Cedar Waxwixg 

Cedar Birds or "Cherry Birds" as they are very often 
called, unfortunately are connoiseurs of fine fruit, particu- 
larly of the various kinds of cultivated and wild cherries. 
Unfortunately, too, owners of such trees seldom take any 
interest in birds except to regard as undesirable all that 
sometimes steal their fruit. There is no question but what 
the birds do considerable damage to the cherry crop, con- 
sequently it is difficult to reason the farmer out of his 
habit of setting his hired boy to guarding the trees with a 
shot gun. Cherries last but a short time and, during the re- 
mainder of the year, Cedarbirds eat quantities of insects 
especially canker worms that are so destructive to orchards. 

Except during the nesting season they go about in flocks 
of from six to twenty individuals. The most marked pecu- 
liarity about them is their silence. A flock of fifteen or 
twenty may perch in a wild cherry tree by the hour and not 
a sound will indicate their presence unless it be the occa- 
sional dropping of a cherry. Their only call is a nasal 
hissing or whistling audible for but a short distance. 

They remain in flocks until the nesting season, which 
commences the latter part of June. Even then they often 
congregate in their favorite cherry trees, but they come and 
go as individuals. 

Their nests are constructed of weeds, grasses, rootlets 
and moss, skilfully woven together and lined with fine 
grasses. Although nearly as large as robin nests they are 
not nearly as easily seen for they are usually cunningly con- 
cealed in clusters of leaves. Orchard trees furnish their 
most frequently chosen nesting sites. 

On the fifteenth day of one June, a Cedar Waxwing was 
observed gathered web from a caterpillar nest. This was 
carried to an old, lone apple tree standing near the wall in 
a large field. No investigation was made at the time, but 



144 




\ 










M 



^32 



1 \i^PS 










Fig. 124. NEST OF WAXWING. 



Tftei/ are very often placed in orchard trees. The composition 
is chiefly ot grasses and string with considerable moss worked 
into it. The eggs are a gray-blue with black specks. 



145 



the occurrence was noted to be looked up later. On June 
thirtieth search of the tree revealed a typical Cherry-bird 
nest containing four dull bluish eggs with few black spots. 

This pair of Cedar-birds made an unfortunate choice of a 
nesting site, for they had built their house on two crossing 
limbs. Every time the wind blew, their house tipped back 
and forth and threatened to spill the contents out. As we 
did not wish such a calamity to happen, we tied the branches 
together and then, as an additional precaution, tied the nest 
more firmly in place. Probably the birds did not appreciate 
this kindness but it undoubtedly saved the lives of their 
little ones as will be seen later. While we were engaged in 
making over their home as we thought it should be, the two 
Cedar-birds perched on the topmost branches and feebly 
protested. 

It was twenty days before we again visited the nest. We 
could see from a distance that it was safe and that the 
parent birds were busy feeding little ones. They both left 
and flew about overhead until they calmed sufficiently to 
alight on their lookout perches and watch to see what we 
were about. 

As soon as the branch was touched, up flew four heads 
with wide open mouths the interior of which was blood-red 
in color, — very different from that of the young of other 
birds. They were repulsive little things, — closed eyes, skin 
like soft black leather and not a sign of feathers about 
them.. As soon as they found that no food was forthcoming, 
they cuddled down in the bottom of the nest and remained 
quiet while we were making our preparations. 

The limbs were weighted with a large stone so as to bring 
the nest down to a height of about five feet, all intervening 
branches were tied out of the way and the one that shaded 
the nest had a string attached so that it could be pulled to 
one side and let sunlight strike the nest when we wished. 

After seeing that the picture was satisfactory on the 



10 



146 




Fig. 125. Sometimes cherries were fed in their whole state, 
and again they were crushed. 



147 



ground glass we retired to the other side of the wall. We 
found that we needed no concealment; as long as we were 
out of sight from the tree, the Cedar-birds considered it 
safe to go to and from the nest without regard to us. After 
the female had looked the nest over carefully and found 
that we had not harmed the little ones she flew away leaving 
her mate on guard. 

Upon her return, the two parents talked matters over a 
few minutes and then she slyly hopped down, branch by 
branch, until she was beside the nest. Although to all ap- 
pearances she had brought no food, she had a plentiful sup- 
ply concealed in her throat. Cedar-birds feed their young 
by regurgitation; sometimes the food is administered to the 
little ones in a well masticated state and again it may be in 
the raw condition. 

As she stepped to the edge of the nest all the young 
heads were elevated and she assumed an attitude of inspec- 
tion, watching them intently for a few moments possibly 
to see which was the most in need of food. As each was 
reaching its very highest and opening its mouth to the 
greatest possible extent it seemed to be a difficult proposi- 
tion to decide. At last she made a convulsive movement of 
the head and, — a bright red cherry appeared in her bill. 
This was quickly thrust down the throat of the nearest 
little bird; as it was not instantly swallowed she took it 
away from him and gave it to the next one. If there is 
not immediate muscular response in the throat of a young 
bird, food is at once withdrawn and given to one in a fit 
condition to receive it; this is done at least by all the song 
and insectivorous birds with which I am familiar. 

Cedar-birds seem to do everything systematically. One 
of these always remained on guard and the other joined two 
more that flew overhead at regular intervals, the three going 
to a cherry tree about a quarter of a mile away where they 
managed to find some belated fruit. The politeness of 



148 




Fig. 126. She would look at them intently as though to decide 
ivhich ivas the most in need of food. 



149 



Cedar-birds has frequently been noted. Often when a num- 
ber are feeding, one will seize a cherry, pass it to the next 
and this one in turn give it to his neighbor. A number of 
times I have seen cherries thus go the rounds of three or 
four birds before they were swallowed. 

On the return trip, our bird would leave and drop down 
to the topmost twig of the apple tree while the other two 
continued down into the valley where they had their homes. 
Mother Wax-wing fed the little birds several times while 
her mate kept watch. She was not a bird to be imposed on 
for very long, however; after calling to him for some time 
she flew to his side and pecked at him until he went down to 
the nest and gave his children the cherries he had been hold 
ing in his mouth for so long. She went along with him and 
we secured a good view of the group just as he was "cough- 
ing up" some food. 

During this day the parent birds fed the young at inter- 
vals of about ten minutes for half an hour, then the mother 
brooded them for the next half hour. Two days later we 
had a violent thunder storm accompanied by very high 
winds. I very much feared for the safety of the nest and 
its occupants and was very glad to find later that our strings 
had held things in place, although the nest was a little awry. 

As we approached the parents left the nest and the young 
birds, now almost large enough to fly, assumed the same 
motionless attitude, heads well forward, that the adults al- 
ways take when startled. 

I never before had young birds act as these did when we 
placed them side by side on a branch. They were all as 
"mean" as they could be but one of them was a regular imp; 
just like a spoiled child, he would bite and kick and throw 
himself backwards off the branch, regardless of how he 
fell, — usually, however, he would grab a neighbor by the 
wing or tail and pull it along with him. When we could 
get them to stay on the branch at all, they looked stiff and 



150 




Fig. 127. RIPE CHERRIES. 



unnatural, just like stuffed images. The three little Cedar- 
birds in the picture that is shown belong to another family; 
they behaved beautifully, sat perfectly still and would each 
turn its head just where we wanted it. Unfortunately the 
parents of these birds could not be induced to return and 
feed them, while the ones that owned the unruly children 
would alight on the branch and feed the single little bird we 
could induce to remain still. 



151 




Fig. 128. The little birds were mean subjects; they simply 
would not pose. 



The birds usually brought two, three or four cherries at 
a time in their throats. They did not, however, feed the 
little Cedar-birds entirely upon cherries for they sometimes 
brought different species of moths and caterpillars. Often 
while one was perched on the lookout twig awaiting the re- 
turn of its mate, it would dash into the air and snap up a 
passing insect; sometimes these would be taken to the 
young, but more often would be eaten by the captor. 



152 




Fig. 129. YOUNG CEDARBIRDS. 



CUCKOOS. 



Two species of Cuckoos are commonly found in eastern 
North America, the Black-billed and the Yellow-billed. The 
former is the most abundant in the northern half of the 
United States and the latter in the southern half. The two 
species are very easily distinguished although beginners in 
bird study often get them confused. The Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo is the largest, has a yellow lower mandible and the 
outer tail-feathers are black with broad white tips. The 
Black-billed species has an entirely black bill and the tail 
is a uniform olive-brown with narrow white tips to the outer 
feathers. 

Both species build very shabby nests, — mere platforms of 
a few twigs, usually lined with a few catkins. The eggs of 
the Yellow-billed species are considerable larger and paler 
colored than those of the other. Three or four eggs is a 
normal set. These are deposited at very irregular inter- 
vals, sometimes several days intervening between layings. 
The bird often commences to set when only one egg is laid, 



153 




Fig. 130. NEST OF BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 



154 



therefore it is very common to find eggs and young birds 
in the nest at once or young varying greatly in size. 

Our cuckoos do not lay their eggs in nests of other birds, 
but always build their own nests. European Cuckoos, 
which belong to a different genus, do not build nests but lay 
their eggs in nests of other birds. Much confusion exists 




Fig. 131. BLACK-BILL'S NEST AMONG BRIERS. 



od this subject because writers getting their ideas from 
English books speak of the Cuckoo as a parasite and even 
school teachers often ignorantly inform their pupils of this 
fact which is not true concerning our birds. The only bird- 
parasite we have is the Cowbird. 

I have included Cuckoos under "Birds of Silence" be- 



155 



cause they are very slow and quiet in their actions and do 
not often use their voices, but they can sing, or rather they 
have notes which can hardly be called songs. The tones of 
the two species are very similar but one familiar with them 
can always tell which kind it is by the sound and the 
rhythm. The Black-bill has regular intervals between the 




Fig. 132. NEST OF YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



"kow-kow's" while the Yellow-bill usually rapidly retards 
his. 

Although Cuckoos build homes and care for their young 
after a fashion, they do not have the attachment for them 
that most birds do for their little ones. I have not yet, out 
of probably half a dozen trials, succeeded in getting one to 



156 



return either to the eggs or to feed young when I was pre- 
pared for picture-making. Some day I expect to find one 
whose home ties are stronger. They do, however, have a 
degree of affection for one another as the following will 
show : 




Fig. 133. YELLOW-BILL'S— JUST HATCHING. 



Cuckoos are very fond of tent caterpillars, in fact they 
eat more of these hairy creatures than all the rest of the 
birds together. One day I saw a Black-bill Cuckoo sitting 
beside a large caterpillar nest. He would utter a few notes 
and then eat a few caterpillars. Evidently he intended to 
stay by his find until they were all gone. After a while he 
took one in his bill and flew into a thicket a short distance 
away. In a few moments he was back again and after 
regaling himself for awhile, off he went with another mouth- 



15' 




Fig. 134. FIRST STAGE— PIN FEATHERS. 




Fig. 135. SECOND STAGE— Quills. 



158 



ful. I carefully walked around the thicket and quietly 
parted the leaves. He was just returning with another 
caterpillar protruding from either side of his bill. He did 
not notice me and came directly to his nest which proved to 
be only about six feet from me. Instead of giving the mor- 
sel to young Cuckoos as I had expected, he passed it to his 




Fig. 136. AT LAST— FEATHERS. 



mate who, as I afterwards learned, was closely sitting upon 
her four blue eggs. It was an act of devotion that, know- 
ing Cuckoos as I thought I did, I had not expected to see. I 
have always thought that had not somebody or something 
taken the eggs from this nest, it would have furnished me 
with the opportunity to have gotten some successful pic- 
tures. 



159 



ONLY SPARROWS. 

"Oh, I only saw a Robin, a Bluebird and a lot of spar- 
rows !" I have heard similar expressions many a time. It 
is amazing to find what a very large percentage of the peo- 
ple regard any brown bird as 'just a sparrow'. There are 
a lot of sparrows, but they are all quite different in plum- 
age and some of them are very beautiful. Nearly 
all of them have beautiful plumage or interesting 
songs. There should be just as much interest taken 
in the study of the sparrows as in the warblers 
or any other family of birds. The reason for this sort of 
apathy concerning them is probably due to the very abund- 
ance and undesirable qualities of the English Sparrows that 
infest our streets everywhere. 

Chipping Sparrow. 

On June twenty-seventh, a Chipping Sparrow was seen 
flying through a small growth of pines. This was nothing 
unusual for Chipping Sparrows were plentiful about the 
place, but this bird had a green worm in its beak; conse- 
quently she was kept under observation until she disappear- 
ed in the top of a little pine. The voices of little birds 
could be heard in the same spot, but so well was the nest 
concealed that several circuits of the tree failed to reveal it. 

Carefully parting the boughs at the top, we opened to 
view the pretty scene of the mother Chippy, standing on the 
edge of a nest, admiring her family of four. She seemed to 
show neither anger nor fear at the interruption but viewed 
us with as much interest as we did her. It was a strange 
fact that this pair of birds, nesting more than half a mile 
from the nearest habitation, showed less fear than a pair 
that dwelt in a public park where people were constantly 
passing within three feet of them. 

It was a very bright looking lot of little ones, reared in 
this cozy and secure home, where the sunlight filtered down 




Fig. 137. A CHIPPY PORTRAIT. 

Perfectly fearless, he stood between his little ones and the 
camera although the latter ivas but three feet away. 



161 




Fig. 138. NEST OF CHIPPING SPARROW. 

They build most frequently in orchard trees; the eggs are pale 
blue with black 



through the same needles that protected them from the 
breezes that always swept across the top of the hill. The 
nest was made of small black rootlets and lined with the 
horsehair that is ever-present in nests of Chipping Spar- 
rows. Besides the four young there was, in the nest, one 
egg, pale blue with small black specks on the large end, 
which had not hatched. 

The male Chippy returned to the nest within five minutes 
after the camera had been focussed. We used no tent nor 
concealment of any kind, — simply stood behind the camera 

11 



162 



and worked the shutter with the ordinary bulb and tube. 
They were the very tamest birds with which I have ever 
dealt, which accounts in part for the excellent results that 
were obtained photographically at this nest. 

At his first visit the male bird brought no food, but just 




Fig. 139. Both adult birds came and went freely, without 
regard to our presence. 



came to see that the little ones were all right. The picture 
entitled "A Chippy Portrait" represents the result of the 
first 'shot', showing him as he was inspecting* the camera. 

He did not move while plates were being changed, but 
just as we were in readiness for another exposure, his mate 
was seen coming with a green worm, and he left. As she 



163 




Fig. 140. They reached eagerly for the green worm Mother 
Chippy brought. 



reached the edge of the nest all the young birds rushed to 
meet her. They were so very eager, each to receive the 
morsel she brought that they very nearly spoiled the next 
picture by their rapid motions. We made but five pictures 
at this time and two of these were worthless because both 
the adults and little ones moved too fast for the shutter. 

The following day was one of those rare, perfect days 
for photographs, — very light, but the sky sufficiently over- 




I! 

^ 5- 

|1 
I Is 

S- 



C3 
Si. 






165 



cast to prevent any shadows. At nine o'clock we were back 
in the grove to see our new acquaintances. Although the 
young had appeared very 'smart' the day before, we were, 
nevertheless, surprised to find that they had all left the nest. 
Two of them were sitting, side by side, on a small dead 
limb of a neighboring tree, but the other two were not in 
sight. 




Fig. 142. Food is pushed down the throats of the young— not 
simply dropped into their mouths. 



After watching the old birds for quite a while, we at last 
located the missing pair and returned them to the side of 
their mates, who had already been carefully focussed in the 
camera. After having once tested their wings and found 
that they could fly for short distances, they were not con- 
tent to sit still, especially just where we wanted them to. 
Time after time, they made short excursions and had to be 
brought back. 

The adults did not seem to be greatly alarmed as to the 
safety of the little ones we were handling so much and,. 



166 



after we had them arranged to our satisfaction and had 
stepped back, one of them flew away after food. He was 
back very quickly and at once went to feed the little birds, 
while his mate started off to hunt too. They continued this 
routine for a long time, one going as soon as the other came 
in sight. 




Fig. 143. This is one of the failures, but it shoivs the amount 
of movement that occurred in 1-100 of a second,— wings from 
side to their highest point. 



Our illustrations show a picture of father Chippy as nc 
pushed a whole beak-full of plant lice down the throat or 
one of his offspring and also of the mother as she delivered 
her antidote for hunger. You will notice that in both these 
pictures there is a 'vacant chair' ; one of the little fellows 



167 



could not overcome his desire to aviate and had to be chased 
about every five minutes. 

They came and went in turn, so regularly that we con- 
cluded that if we could detain one of the adults for a few 
minutes we would have them both arriving at the same time. 
The scheme worked to perfection. We prevented the fe- 
male from feeding the young until the male was seen corn- 




Fig. 144. A LONG REACH. 

Notice that the adult is reaching over tico little birds and the 
space where another one should be. 



ing in the distance, and as a result, secured the picture en- 
titled "The Chippy Family". Mother, on the right of the 
picture, has just fed the two birdies nearest to her and is 
turning to leave just as father arrives with a beautiful 
green worm for the remaining little ones. I regard this as 
the best bird photograph that I ever secured; every one of 
the six birds is absolutely sharp, even to the finest feathers. 
Only those who have made bird pictures can realize how 
slight a movement will show on the plate. 

The next appearance of the two birds at the same time 
is shown in "Preparing Breakfast". This shows one of 



168 



the occurrences in bird-life that is very rarely witnessed 
and still less often photographed. The male bird is the one 
nearest the young; lie had just fed the little one beside 
him and was on the point of leaving when the female ar- 
rived with a large caterpillar. To our surprise, instead of 
alighting on the other side of the little birds, as usual, she 




Fig. 145. AN ANTIDOTE FOR HUNGER. 



lit at the side of her mate. In bird language, she instruct- 
ed him what to do, and the next moment he had hold of one 
end of the caterpillar, bearing down with all his might; she 
lifted up on her end until it parted in the center. The two 
youngsters in the middle , who have anticipation written on 
every line of their faces, were the recipients of the broken 
morsel. 

We were also fortunate in being able to reproduce another 
very interesting performance, shown in the picture entitled 
"A Long Reach". You will notice that the little bird with 



169 




£•8 



2< 



5*! 



^ CO 

cot 



170 

which we have had so much trouble, has taken another flight 
and is missing. The mother is just turning to go, and 
shows a slight motion in the picture. The father is reach- 
ing entirely over two birds and the space where the other 
should have been, to feed the one farthest away from him. 
It is no mean acrobat, who can thus maintain his equilibrium 
with his center of gravity falling so far outside his support. 

One never knows until after the plates are developed, 
whether he has secured success or failure, when engaged in 
bird photography, so we exposed about two dozen plates, 
of which more than half came out satisfactorily, the poor 
ones being due to too rapid motion on the part of the sub- 
jects. 

These birds may be "only sparrows" but they are very 
interesting ones, as anyone seeing them as we did, would 
have to admit. 

Song Sparrow. 

Go where you will, throughout the length and breadth of 
our land and still you will find Song Sparrows. In the 
deserts of southwestern United States is a very pale colored 
race that matches perfectly the soil and surroundings. In 
northwestern United States and British Columbia is a very 
dark Song Sparrow, — in fact all the birds from that region 
are darker than the same species are from other sections of 
the country. In Alaska is a very large Song Sparrow, — a 
veritable giant when compared to our eastern one. 

Everywhere you will find that the habits of these birds 
are practically alike and their songs are nearly enough like 
those of our common eastern bird to be easily recognized. 

The song of the Song Sparrow has been set to a good 
many words ; the one that always most appealed to me is the 
* l Molly, put the teakettle-ettle-ettle on and we'll all take 
tea-ee-ee"; words that do not mean much on paper, but 
easily fit in place when you are listening to the song as ren- 
dered by the bird. 



171 



These birds are not at all particular in regard to their 
nesting sites. Usually they conceal their homes in thick 
clumps of grass or weeds, or in bushes not far from the 
ground, but I have found them in fields where there was not 
a spear of grass to offer shade and on ledges that were 
almost bare. 

Although Song Sparrows are among our most common 
birds and their nests are very easy to find, I have made but 
very few pictures of them, chiefly because I have always had 
other nests to occupy what time I had at my disposal. On 




Fig. 147. NEST OF SONG SPARROW. 



172 




Fig. 148. SONG SPARROW. 

a number of occasions when I have been without a camera 
I have found individual birds that were exceedingly tame, 
in fact I have had several alight on my hand to feed little 
birds that I was holding. Others have allowed me to stroke 
them on the back as they were sitting on their nests, but 
of course such instances are unusual, for Song Sparrows 
usually chirp and scold vigorously if anyone comes near 
their home. 



Field Sparrow. 

As would be judged from their name, these birds are in- 
habitants of fields, — not fields carpeted with fresh green 
grass, though, but dry side hills or hollows that are usually 
plentifully sprinkled with small shrubs. 

Throughout the East, the high-pitched, piping melody 
that constitutes their song is one of the most familiar 
sounds of rural districts. Commencing with a single long- 
drawn whistle of intermediate pitch, it continues through 
a succession of three or four very high notes and ends in a 
pleasing little trill. It is a rather pretty little song 



173 




Fig. 149. FIELD SPARROW 



that once heard will not likely be forgotten or confused with 
that of any other bird. 

They nest about equally often on the ground or a foot or 
two up in small bushes ; in either case the nest is usually 
well concealed from view. There is a great difference in 
the temperaments of individual birds of the same species. 
One pair of Field Sparrows may perch on the top of a bush 



174 




Fig. 150. CLEANING THE NEST. 



and chirp excitedly as long as an intruder is in sight, while 
another may quiet down in a very few moments and carry 
on their household duties as though they were alone. The 
birds shown in the accompanying pictures belonged to the 
latter class. 

The nest, or what was later to be the nest, was discovered 
almost as the first straw was laid. During two hours fol- 
lowing the discovery the nest grew wonderfully. The fe- 



175 




Fig. 151. FIELD SPARROW. 



male was the carpenter, her mate's jDart consisting of bring- 
ing part of the material. Both birds would usually depart 
together, but she always returned first and had her grasses 
wound into place and was ready to take his as soon as he 
appeared. 

In the course of three weeks, three of the four eggs that 
she had laid, hatched. When the young were six days old, 
several pictures were taken of scenes at the nest. As in the 
case of the Chipping Sparrows no attempt at concealment 
was made ; the camera was within three feet of the nest and 
I was seated on the ground just back of it. The birds paid 
scarcely any attention to me and were back at the nest in 
less than ten minutes after I had things in readiness for 
them. Ants, spiders and plant lice formed the bulk of the 



176 



food that was brought, although, occasionally a caterpillar 
or a hard-shelled beetle would be brought in. Nearly all 
their food was gathered from the ground, in fact many 
times they would have pieces of grass also in their beaks, 
that they had accidentally pulled up while seizing the in- 
sects. 




Fig. 152. YOUNG FIELD SPARROWS. 



On the twelfth day after the eggs hatched, the nest was 
empty; the young were near by for the parents were anx- 
iously calling, but we were able to find but two of them. 

Grasshopper Sparrow. 

This is one of the most inconspicuous of all sparrows. 
The bird itself is of a rather shy nature and seldom allows 
one to approach sufficiently near to study it in detail with- 
out the aid of a good field glass. Its song is just a weak 
insect-like chirping or rather buzzing, a sound that would es- 




BALTIMORE ORIOLE 



From a painting 




FLICKER 



From a painting 



177 



cape the notice of probably ninety-five out of a hundred per- 
sons. They make their homes on the ground in fields and 
pastures. When singing you can usually locate them on a 
stone wall, fence post or some little elevation in the mid- 
dle of the field. 

The continued presence of a pair of "Grasshoppers" in a 
field that I often crossed, finally tempted me to try and find 
their nest. A large stone in the middle of the field furnish- 
ed a lookout perch for the male bird. He commenced 
chirping as soon as I climbed the wall and in a few mo- 
ments his mate appeared on the rock too; it was impossible 
to tell from which direction she came as she was wholly 
concealed by the tall grass when she ran from the nest. At- 
tempts on several days, to start her from the nest, failed 
because of the vigilance of the guard, until I almost de- 
spaired of finding it. One morning I crept carefully up to 
the wall and watched, without being seen, for over an hour. 
At last I was rewarded by seeing a sparrow-like bird fly 
from the grass, across the fields. Another wait of a half 
hour and she returned, first alighting on the rock beside 
the male and then, as she had no idea anyone was watching, 
she flew about fifty yards away and dropped into the grass 
at the same point she had risen from. 

I got quickly over the wall and rushed to the spot ; as the 
watchman had no time to warn her, she flushed from the 
nest within ten feet, of me. It contained five pretty, white, 
spotted eggs in a little grass cup well arched over on the 
southern side so as to always be shaded within. 

Daily visits were now paid, and the habits of the female 
gradually underwent a change as the eggs advanced in incu- 
bation, until she would allow me to reach a point where I 
could look in and see her. The next time, I took the camera 
already set on a short tripod. In order not to startle her 
too suddenly, I walked slowly by the nest several times, 
as though I did not see her, pausing a little longer each 



12 



178 




Fig. 153. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. 



179 



time when in front of the nest. But as soon as I brought 
the camera in view she was off like a flash and the trials 
were over for that day. 

Several more trials on succeeding days got her a little 
used to the machine and one day I was able to get focussed, 
draw the slide from the holder and give an exposure of two 
seconds, the result of which is shown in the picture of her 
sitting on the nest. Her brown eyes twinkled with excite- 
ment and anxiety but she kept her place and I quietly re- 
moved the camera and left her. The eggs hatched the next 
day but I troubled her no more as I could not spare more 
time for pictures of her, and I doubt if it would have been 
possible to have gotten them. 

THE IMPOSTOR. 

A happy pair of Maryland Yellow-throats selected as a 
place in which to build their house, a spot on the bank of a 
tiny brook. The male Yellow-throat was a beautiful bird, 
a gentlebird of leisure and fashion; he had a hand, or at 
least a voice, in all that went on in the little bird community 
in which he dwelt. He tried to settle all disputes that arose 
among the other birds; his notes of protest were loudest if 
anyones home was raided or disturbed by bird, mammal or 
man and he was the watchman of the village, his long, 
rattling alarm ringing out if any form of danger appeared. 

He flashed here, there and everywhere, his beady eyes 
twinkling in their black mask as he peered from the under- 
brush ; ever and anon he darted to the top of some shrub and 
his loud, clear "witchery-witchery-witchery" would ring out 
above the songs of other birds. He encouraged his mate to 
work her hardest at building their little cup-shaped home, 
but he did not assist her in any other way. The nest was 
made of grasses and strips of bark; it was set among the 
weeds so that the bottom just touched the ground. The in- 
side was very deep, as is customary among these birds, — so 
deep that the sitting bird was entirely below the rim. 



180 




Fig. 154. YELLOW-THROAT RETURNING TO NEST. 



181 




Fig. 155. NEST OF MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT. 



One morning a handsome little egg appeared in the nest, 
— delicate, white, spotted chiefly about the large end. The 
next morning another similar one lay beside it. At some 
time during that day the imposter appeared, a Cowbird. 
As Mrs. Yellow-throat was not at home and the gallant sire 
was having an argument with some of his neighbors, she set- 
tled comfortably on the top of the little nest and when she 
left, there were three eggs, one much larger than the others 
and more thickly spotted. 

No one can tell the feelings of a little bird when it finds 



182 



a spurious egg in its nest. Birds, except in unusual in- 
stances, cannot count, but they must recognize the difference 
in sizes between the eggs. Usually they accept the odd one 
without protest but instances often occur when a little bird, 
wiser than others of her kind, rolls the undesired egg out of 
the nest or builds another bottom to her nest, sacrificing her 
own eggs with the one of the Cowbird. 




Fig. 156. YELLOW-THROAT ON NEST. 



In this instance, the little Yellow-throat laid two more 
eggs of her own and the nest would hold no more. As usual, 
the Cowbird egg, probably because it is larger and receives 
more warmth from the sitting bird, hatched a day before the 
smaller eggs. I passed by the nest and watched the pro- 
gress of the young nearly every morning. Male and fe- 
male Yellow-throat were very busy feeding the little birds ; 
the young Cowbird, because of his larger size and much 
larger appetite, received food twice to every once for the 
rightful occupants of the nest. Y r oung Maryland Yellow 



183 



throats are much stronger and more active than the young 
of most other warblers, so that all four of them were able to 
stand the crowding and pushing of the young Cowbird. In 
many instances, especially when nests are located above 
ground, the little birds that really belong there are crowded 
out or else suffocated. 




Fig. 157. He started in alarm as he heard the click of the 
camera shutter. 



My plans for pictures at this nest were wholly upset. 
The day before I expected them to leave the nest, I appear- 
ed ready to do business. The four little Yellow-throats 
and one large Cowbird were all in the nest but so crowded 
they scarce could move. The tent was placed in position 
and the camera -carefully f ocussed. At the last moment I 
reached out to remove an offending blade of grass that 
would have appeared out of focus in a picture. Like a flash, 



184 



four little Yellow-throats scuttled away in four directions 
through the weeds, leaving their clumsy foster-brother in 
the nest. I caught just one of the little sprites but he 
proved unmanageable so that I had to let him go and confine 
my photographic attempts to the Cowbird. 




Fig. 158. A male Yellow-throat feeding a young Cowbird 
bigger than itself. 



He was perched on a branch in front of the camera and 
I waited for developments. The two adult Yellow-throats 
evidently talked the matter over and decided that she should 
look after her four, sprightly offspring, while he would take 
care of the larger, helpless member of the family. Sir 
Yellow-throat coaxed and he coaxed and scolded and scold- 
ed trying to make the young Cowbird leave the perch; he 
even tried to knock him off as he flew past, but the stolid 
youngster would not budge. He just opened his mouth to 
its fullest extent and begged loudly for something to eat; 
he cared not nor thought of danger, — just of his appetite. 



185 



The Yellow-throat finally concluded that it was useless 
to threaten, persuade or reason with such a young one and 
started searching for something with which to quiet it. He 
finally brought a green worm and, with many misgivings 
and false starts, hopped out on the branch where the large 
baby-bird stood flapping his wings and coaxing. Birds can 
move very quickly but I have never seen one jump as sud- 
denly as Yellow-throat did when the shutter clicked. Be- 
fore the picture was taken, which happened in one one- 
hundredth part of a second, he had made a complete beat 
of his wings as is clearly shown in the photograph. As 
no harm had come to him at the first shot, he was not as 
wary when he approached the second time, and I secured 
him on the plate without motion. 

For a month afterward, that little Cowbird was still de- 
pending upon its small step-father, following him every- 
where, always fluttering its wings and begging for more, 
more, more. 




Fig. 159. NEST OF RED-EYED VIREO. 



186 

SWINGING HOMES. 

Red-eyed Vireo 

Bringing with them the good cheer of the south, Red- 
eyed Vireos return to northern United States about the mid- 
dle of May. They are the most abundant of the vireos and 
are also the most persistent songsters that we have. From 
morn until night, song after song pours from their tireless 
throats until at times, especially when one is listening to a 
new or unusual song of some other bird, it becomes very ir- 
ritating. The vireo song is a rather lazily whistled repeti- 
tion of the word vireo with varying accents and modulations. 
It is a song that readily lends itself for the imaginative per- 
son to substitute numerous words and sentences; delivered 
in an intermittent, rambling, recitative manner that has 
given it the local name of "preacher-bird". 

Vireos are among the most useful protectors of the foli- 
age, — always busy; most birds stop work and raise the head 
to deliver their song but with this species, work and song 
go hand in hand, even though he be hanging head-down 
looking over the under surface of the leaves. 

Some of my pleasantest hours among birds were passed 
at the home of a pair of Red-eyed Vireos, the one shown in 
the accompanying illustrations. These birds had chosen for 
their summer residences one of the prettiest places ever se- 
lected by a pair of vireos. It was in a pleasant piece of 
woods overlooking a beautiful lake. Not only were their 
natural surroundings pleasant, but they had congenial 
neighbors on every side, a fact that added greatly to my 
pleasure. 

While sitting within my photographic tent, beside this 
nest, I could, with my glasses, see all that happened at the 
home of a pair of Redstarts about three hundred feet away. 
About forty feet distant, in the vertical face of a gravel 
pit, was the entrance to a tunnel leading to the home of a 
pair of kingfishers. And within six feet of the edge of the 



187 




Fig. 160. VIREO OX NEST. 

No'e that the rim of the basket is low on the right side so that 
the bird can sit comfortably. 



188 



tent was the nest of an Ovenbird, containing four eggs. 
These last birds did not get used to me for a long time 
and scolded a great deal. I imagine that some chipmunks 
living in a stump a short distance away could have thrown 
some light on the disappearance of the Ovenbird eggs, that 
took place before I made a second visit. 

A little farther off, out of sight but still within stone's 
throw, were nests of Wood Thrush. Catbird, Thrasher, 
Towhee, Veery, Prairie and Chestnut-sided Warblers and 
Indigo Bunting. But let us return to the vireo nest. When 
I found it, the nest contained four eggs that were evidently 
well incubated, for the vireo was sitting very closely. 

This nest was very strongly built of strips of bark, plant 
fibres and grasses woven into a compact basket that swung 
from a crotch of a young chestnut shoot. The side opposite 
the crotch was lower than the others, allowing the vireo to 
sit in a comfortable position instead of doubled up as is 
the bird on the other nest shown. But one picture was taken 
on the day the nest was found, the one showing the four 
eggs. Three days later the eggs had hatched. 

On the morning that the little birds were five days old, 
we again visited the nest carrying camera and tent. As we 
approached, we saw that the mother bird was brooding her 
young and that her mate w r as standing on the edge of the 
nest beside her. At no time while we had the camera in po- 
sition did both birds come to the nest at the same time, al- 
though frequently one stood just out of range while its mate 
was busy feeding the babies. 

The young were fed with clock-like precision beginning 
within ten minutes from the time the tent was set up. The 
longest period of waiting between visits was ten minutes 
and the shortest, two minutes. They were fed chiefly upon 
various worms and caterpillars, with an occasional dragon- 
fly or moth. The picture showing the male vireo with his 
bill thrust down the throat of one little fellow illustrates a 
number of interesting points. First: — Birds do not simply 



189 



drop food into the mouths of their little ones but thrust iL 
far down the throat. Second: — Notice that the head of 
the one being fed is raised higher than the others. The 
more hungry a little bird is, the higher it will reach, a fact 
that insures their being fed in rotation. The little fellow 




Fig. 161. On one occasion the male brought a large dragon- 
fly, carefully digested of wings and all but one leg. 



in front is much smaller and a day or two younger than the 
other two (the fourth egg did not hatch), but when the 
next morsel was brought his wide-open, appealing mouth 
was raised above that of his brothers and sisters. Third: — 
Notice the motion of the head of the young bird on the 



190 




Fig. 162. Food is thrust well down the throats of the little 
ones. 



191 



right. In this case the whole head, as shown by the lower 
mandible, was oscillating about the upper mandible as an 
axis. It is this rapid motion of little birds that spoils many 
a photograph. 

On one occasion, the male vireo brought a large dragon- 




Fig. 163 He moved too quickly for the camera shutter this 
time. 



fly which he carefully prepared for nestling-food by di- 
vesting it of wings and all but one leg. He then walked 
along the branch and thrust it headfirst down the throat of 
one of his children, leaving fully an inch of the body stick- 
ing out of the little fellows mouth. I had supposed that 
he would surely divide the fly into a portion for each and 
was greatly astonished to see him feed such a large mor- 
sel to such a small bird. The contortions of the little fel- 



192 



low, as he slowly but surely swallowed the dragonfly, were 
painful to watch ; it took about four minutes for it to entire- 
ly disappear from view. For fifteen minutes this little 
bird lay quietly in the bottom of the nest, at the end of 
which time he again bobbed up, as hungry as ever. 





^^ » y 


. 




\« 








,%^g^ ^V^jSc 


Bjjjf f*> 


t/f'.i 




« t ^^9Mri&9P*4^yfl 


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<* . 


r^ ^2Sdp 5|^flF" Hfp^ttr^ 


M. 



Fig. 164. VIREO ENTERING NEST. 



I show two views of another nest located in a little oak. 
This nest is of the ordinary type, with a high rim all around 
so that the sitting bird has to have her tail erect. The 
black-bordered superciliary and maxillary lines on the bird 
entering the nest from the rear, give its face a very peculiar 




RUBY-THR. HUMMING BIRD 



From a painting 




From a painting 



GOLDFINCH 






193 




Fig. 165. RED-EYED VIREO. 



appearance, almost as though it were equipped with auto- 
mobile goggles. 

This last nest was in a very ill-chosen location. When 
these pictures were made, at which time the nest contained 
eggs, the bottom of the structure was less than six inches 
from the ground. By the time the eggs had hatched and the 
young were a week old, the nest touched the ground. Two 
days later it was empty; some marauding animal had made 
away with the little birds and perhaps captured the mother 
too, for I did not see her again although the male was in 
the neighborhood for several weeks. 

13 



194 

THE VIREO. 

Bertha A. Joslin. 

"Dear me, dear me; hear me, hear me." 

What's the matter pray ? 
Clatter, clatter ; chatter, chatter, 

All the livelong day. 
Up among the bloom and leaf, 

Peeping out from underneath, 
Little bird so pretty, O, 

Don't you ever stop to breathe, 
Darling little Vireo? 

Trees that screen it, dainty greenlet, 

Never screen its song. 
"What so happy, O, as the Vireo?" 

Ringeth loud and long. 
"What so cheery, O, as the Vireo, 

What so jolly, O, sweet, 
What so merry, O, as the Vireo?" 

All the leaves repeat. 

If rain doth spatter, thunder clatter, 

Still for a bit I'll be. 
But the sun's behind it, I never mind it, 

Safe up in my tree. 
It does not matter, the clouds will scatter,. 

So I rest myself a wee, 
Then clatter, clatter, chatter, chatter, 

Over lawn and lea. 
"Hear me, the Vireo, all so merry, O." 

Bubbling in my tree. 



195 

Yellow-throated Vireo. 

The home of the Yellow-throated Vireo is usually swung 
from the fork of a branch ranging from ten to forty feet 
above ground, while that of the Red-eyed species is usually 
found less than ten feet up. The nests of the two species 
are constructed so nearly alike that they cannot be distin- 
guished from one another positively, but the eggs of the 
present species have a very few, small reddish-brown spots 
while those on the eggs of Red-eye are black. 

The song of the Yellow-throated Vireo is very different 
from that of the Red-eye, although anyone would readily 
recognize it as that of some sort of a vireo. It is lower in 
pitch, the tones are not clear, there being a distinct under- 
tone, the song is more deliberate and the pauses much long- 
er ; he is very apt, too, to break off into a chatter in the 
midst of his song. 

The two young vireos of this species, that are pictured 
here, were so unfortunate as to be blown from their cradle, 
swinging forty feet up in an oak tree, by a very high wind. 
They happened to fall without injury and were so good as 
to allow us to take their portraits. We also made several of 
the mother bird feeding these, but none of them came out 
satisfactorily because of the gale that caused tent and 
camera to vibrate and nearly blew the feathers off the birds. 
It is my only attempt at picturing these birds, but good re- 
sults should be secured under favorable circumstances, as 
both the young and the adults were very tractable. 

California Bush-tit 
These little birds rank next to the hummingbirds as being 
the smallest birds found in our country. Diminutive as 
they are, being but four inches long, half of which length 
is comprised in the tail, they fashion beautiful hanging 
nests that are bulky enough for birds four times their 
size. These purse-shaped nests, constructed of mosses, 
lichens, plant fibres and feathers, and with the entrance a 
little hole on one side near the top, vary in length from six 
to sixteen inches. 



3 9() 




Fig. 16C. BUSH-TIT AND NEST 



197 




Fig. 167. NEST OF BUSH-TIT. 



In southern California, the birds are quite common but, 
because of their small size are not as apt to be noticed as 
are the nests that hang conspicuously from the branches of 
many of the oaks. Nimble as our chickadees are, their acro- 
batic feats are more than equaled by those of this tiny crea- 
ture which delights in whirling about tiny branches or drop- 
ping from one to another while upside down. 



198 



Their diminutive forms and gray color make them very 
inconspicuous and their weak voices are not likely to call 
attention to them as they industriously search thickets and 
foliage of large trees, ridding them of quantities of little 
pests. 



W|K r '*^^ r 




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I^NgMp Vrt y / t£S&!£± 




^^r'** *5^a JJ^WlFV' ' 


Ja 


^JsP^s 



Fig. 168. Female Golden-winged Warbler returning to her 
nest. She was very tame and I made 8 negatives of her but un- 
fortunately all except this were "light-struck." 



199 



THE GLEANERS. 

Birds are the natural conservators of our trees. One of 
their chief offices is the destruction of insects whose rav- 
ages destroy the foliage or eat the very hearts out of our 
shade and forest trees. 

Chief among the gleaners of the foliage are the warblers 




Fig. 169. Black and White Warbler entering its nest. 



and vireos ; they search the trunks of trees, peer in all the 
crevices and hang from the tips of the slenderest branches, 
devouring insect-eggs, worms, caterpillars, larvae and fully 
developed flies or moths. I have been very fortunate in be- 
ing able to secure photographic histories of a number of 
these gleaners. 

Black and White Warbler. 
Woodpeckers are very expert at climbing up trees; 
Nuthatches are equally expert at clambering down. Black 



!00 




201 

and White Warblers or Black and White Creepers, as they 
were formerly called, are more versatile and agile than 
either; they can climb in any position with the greatest of 
ease. In this respect, their habits are so different from 
most warblers, that early naturalists were inclined to class 
them in a separate family. 

After hearing the long-drawn, wiry song of a Black and 
White Warbler coming from about the same spot for sev- 
eral consecutive mornings, I decided to investigate. Climb- 
ing over the wall, I went in the direction of his voice and 
soon found him climbing nimbly about in a young chestnut 
tree in search of his breakfast. Every few moments the 
little climber would pause, lift his head and sing out his 
unmusical notes. I was not particularly interested in the 
male bird at this time, but I knew that somewhere near him 
I would find his mate and, that having located her, it would 
be a comparatively easy matter to find their nest. 

I soon discovered her in a tree beyond her mate, and was 
delighted to see that she had a long shred of bark in her 
beak. As usual with birds of this species, she was very 
careful and wanted to make sure that no one should see her 
building the nest. I kept perfectly still for fully fifteen 
minutes before she went to its site, which proved to be at 
the base, on the opposite side, of the very stump behind 
which I was concealed. As these warblers are very apt to 
desert a nest if they know it to be discovered, I went quiet- 
ly away without even looking at it. 

The next time I saw the nest it contained one dainty lit- 
tle warbler egg and a larger one of a Cowbird; the latter 
egg was removed because it would have either prevented the 
warbler from laying her full number of eggs in the nest or 
else, when hatched, the young Cowbird would probably have 
crowded some of the smaller birds to death. I saw neither 
of the warblers on that morning and feared that they might 
have already deserted the nest because of the imposition; 




Fig. 171. She always returned the same way,— down a dead 
limb to a tiny twig-, dropping from the latter to her doorway. 



203 



of the Cowbird. A week later I returned and. when at a 
distance of about ten feet, I could see her little bead-like 
eyes and black and white striped face. The nest was sunk 
among the leaves at the base of the stump and was well 
arched over so that it was very difficult to see even when the 
exact location was known. She sat perfectly still and I 
approached very, very slowly carrying a camera, already 




Fig. 172. Four of the five little ones; the other could not be 
found. 



set on its tripod, before me. I managed to plant it so that 
the lens was but three feet from her without causing her to 
leave. Then still more slowly, at the same time trying to 
reassure her with bird-like chirps (that perhaps did not 
sound much like a bird), I leaned forward and removed 
some objectionable grasses that were between the lens and 
her and finally lifted the arch a trifle so that she could be 
seen to better advantage. She was frightened, for she 



204 



breathed faster than normal but she made no move to get 
away and even opened her bill as though to pick my fingers 
when I touched the nest. 

Her confidence arid courage were amazing, considering 
that it was the first formal visit I had made. With a small 
stop in the lens, I made tw 7 o pictures of her as she sat on 
the nest. As I did not wish to frighten her away, I simply 




Fig. 173. I managed to keep two of them on a twig long 
enough to get his picture, feeding them; they were so active that 
this was almost a hopeless task. 



wound my coat and focussing cloth about the tripod legs 
and went to another part of the woods, leaving the camera 
there. As I had hoped, when I returned an hour later she 
had left her nest, which, I now saw, held five eggs, and gone 
after food. So I stretched myself on the ground with just 
my head and shoulders concealed under the small tent 
formed by the covered tripod legs and, with bulb in hand, 
awaited her return. 

It was a very clear, sunny day in the middle of June. 
The sun's rays were very warm, in fact I never before rea- 



205 



lized that they were so red hot. In spite of the discomfort, 
I had to laugh as I likened myself to a turkey in the oven; 
the worst of it was I was being baked only on one side; I 
could not turn over because my warbler had returned and 
was watching me closely before going to the nest. At the 
end of about fifteen minutes, by which time I was "well 




Fig. 174. They moved so rapidly that the picture is blurred 
although it was made in 1-200 of a second.. 



done", she got in just the position I wanted and I snapped 
the shutter. One such roasting as that was sufficient so I 
gathered my outfit and retreated. 

It was fortunate that I took the pictures as I did, for 
when I next returned with my whole battery of cameras and 
tent, I found that I was a day too late. I no sooner touched 
the nest than the little black and white fellows slid out in 
all directions. I think that, possibly with the exception of 
some little Maryland Yellow-throats, they were the liveliest 
lot of little birds I have ever handled. I never needed an 



206 




Fig. 175. The male bird even went into the valise to feed the 
little ones. Notice that he is now standing on the edge and one 
youny is inside. 



assistant as much as I did at just that time. After much 
running, dodging and climbing I managed to corral four of 
them but I could find no trace of the fifth; its mother had 
led it awav and left the father bird to look out for the ones 
I had. 

If human children would obey their parents as beautiful- 
ly as these little birds did, we would have a perfect world. 
As soon as I got them perched on a branch he would tell 
them to get off, — and off they would go, every one of them, 
in four different directions. I did manage to get a few pic- 
tures but not the ones that I wanted most to secure. The 
male warbler was the most courageous little feathered mite 



207 

I have ever seen. He was everywhere almost at once, climb- 
ing all over my head, shoulders and hands, but never still 
for an instant. He pleaded so earnestly for me to let his 
little ones go, that I soon turned them loose. 
Chestnut-sided Warbler. 
Both this species and the Black and White Warbler are 
about equally common, but the nests of the Chestnut-side 
are much more easily found. The birds are not as careful 
to avoid being seen and the nests are above ground so that 
they are often found without watching the owner. They 
are, however, located usually at the top of low bushes so 
they can be seen only below by removing the protecting 
leaves from above. 




Fig. 176. CHESTNUT-SIDE ON NEST. 



208 




Fig. 177. Male Chestnut-sided* Warbler feeding one of its 
young; there are three in the nest but not in sight. 



209 

They are among the easiest of birds to photograph while 
they are sitting upon the nest. Several times I have remov- 
ed leaves from above the bird, put a camera in place and 
made photographs without disturbing her; they sometimes 
have allowed me also to gently stroke their back, without 
leaving the eggs. They seem to be very popular with that 



Fig. 178. I advanced until the lens ivas within 2 feet of her 
and she half rose from the eggs. 



bird-parasite, the Cowbird, for about twenty-five per cent, 
of the nests found contain one or more eggs of this species. 

Although Sir Chestnut-side leaves the task of making the 
nest almost wholly to his mate, he takes his turn at sitting 
on the eggs and, in almost every case that I have watched, 
does more than his share in feeding the little ones. With 
most birds that I have photographed, it has been the female 
that returned first after the battery of cameras was trained 
on the nest, but with Chestnut-sides it has always been the 
male which showed the way. 

It was several years before I was able to secure any pic- 
tures of the parent birds feeding their little ones. Nearly 



14 



•210 




Fig. 179. She jumped at the click of the shutter. 




Fig. 180. FEMALE CHESTNUT-SIDE. 



211 



f — / Mk 


w I 

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/ 

/ 


, -i 



Fig. 181. 

every nest of this species that I located would be destroyed 
in some manner before the eggs hatched or something would 
take the little ones while they were very small. The fact 
that most of the nests were in a locality where chipmunks 
and grackles abounded was perhaps responsible for the 
great destruction of eggs and young. 



Prairie Warbler. 

These beautiful little warblers are very locally distribut- 
ed. They nest usually in small colonies, one of which hap- 
pens to be on a certain side hill where I have succeeded in 
making pictures of a great many species of birds. Each 
male seems to have his own little section and also a favorite 



212 




Fig. 182. NEST OF PRAIRIE WARBLER. 



21 S 

lookout perch ; many an exciting chase occurs when the head 
of some one household encroaches on the domains of an- 
other. A flash of yellow and black is all that can be seen 
of the bewildering conflicts «is they dash in and out among 
the underbrush until one finally returns to his perch singing 
his victory in the peculiar, rasping tones common to this spe- 
cies. 

Their nests are quite difficult to find as they are, almost 
without exception, built at the tops of low shrubs, just where 
the leaves are the most dense. As there are hundreds of 
bushes perfectly adapted to their needs it requires a long 
search to locate a nest, particularly because these warblers 
are so very careful not to disclose its hiding place. All my 
observations have brought me to the conclusion that Prairie 
Warblers are practical jokers; I, at least, have been made 
their victim on several occasions. 

One day I saw one of the females with a bit of grass in 
her bill, so I sat down to watch and find out where she was 
going to put it. She knew that I had seen her so she chirp- 
ed and scolded for a long time, being ably aided by her 
mate who appeared by her side at the first note of alarm. 
In a few minutes she took the nesting material into the 
thick top of a bush and soon flew out again without it. A 
few minutes later, the male also carried material to the same 
spot followed after awhile by the female with some strips 
of bark. I was sure that they must have a nest nearly 
completed to be working so industriously, so I went over to 
investigate. Imagine my surprise when I found not a 
shred of a nest there; they had carried their loads to the 
bush and dropped them on the ground apparently for the 
very purpose of fooling me. I have had other very similar 
experiences with these little warblers. 

I show a few pictures obtained at a nest located in a 
young walnut tree. It is a typical nest, composed chiefly 
of plant fibres, a few grasses and shreds of bark. While 



214 




Fig. 183. MALE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 



215 




Fig. 184. FEMALE PRAIRIE WARBLER. 



the female was sitting, both she and her mate were watch- 
ful. She always left the nest and glided away unseen if 
anyone approached. As soon as the eggs had hatched, 
the parents lost much of their fear and would feed the lit- 
tle birds even while we were watching. 

When bringing food, they approached the nest cautious- 
ly, keeping near the ground where the swaying of the tops 
of the sweet ferns, that formed the lower strata of vegeta- 
tion, showed their approach and soon a tremor of the wal- 
nut announced that they were almost at the goal. All man- 
ner of insects were included in their menu, — ants, aphids, 
flies, moths and even repulsive looking little worms such as 
one of the illustrations shows the male bird bringing. 



216 




Fig. 185. NEST OF OVENBIRD. 



Arched over 
the eggs. 



that one has to stoop low to look under and see 



The good fellowship that exists between birds can be 
judged by the number that nested in company with the 
Prairie Warblers, within a radius of one hundred yards. 
They included Indigo Buntings, Towhees, Veeries, Thrash- 
ers, Vireos, Black and White and Chestnut-sided Warblers, 
Field and Song Sparrows, a Chickadee, Bluebird and Scar- 
let Tanger. As a general thing they all lived very peace- 
ably with only an occasional tilt that in no w T ays disturbed 
the social equilibrum of the bird community. 



217 
The Ovexbird. 

In early morning, during spring and summer, the wood- 
land resounds with the loud, vibrant songs of Ovenbirds, — 

"teacher-teacher-teacher " repeated many times and 

giving the species the local name of "Teacher-bird". It is 
also very commonly known as the Golden-crowned Thrush 
because it has a dull, orange-yellow stripe on the crown and 
because the rest of the coloration is thrush-like. The rea- 
son for the name of Ovenbird is rather obscure to the be- 
ginner in bird study until he or she has discovered one of 
their nests. 

One morning, as we approached a pretty bit of woodland, 
above the sweet voices of numerous other songsters, we 
heard the loud chanting of an Ovenbird. Ere the last 
notes of his ditty had been uttered, the song was taken up 
and continued by other Ovenbirds in distant parts of the 
woods. Usually nests of these birds are found by flushing 
the sitting bird, the present instance being the only one 
in which I ever discovered the nest of an Ovenbird before 
seeing the owner. We had barely entered the woods before 
I noticed a slight elevation of the leaves ahead of us. In- 
stinctively the thought came to mind that it was a nest; ap- 
proaching carefully, we stooped and looked under the arch- 
ing top. Greatly disturbed by this undesired curiosity the 
owner, an Ovenbird of course, dashed out and from a 
branch close at hand scolded us roundly. 

It was a fine type of the nest of this species ; the top was 
strongly arched over, so much so that the eggs could barely 
be seen. Concluding that, as we had discovered the little 
oven so easily, others might do the same, we made a picture 
of the nest and eggs and then set the camera so as to 
get a picture of the returning bird, although the light in 
the shady woods was very poor for quick exposures. As 
soon as we were concealed within the tent the Ovenbird 
ceased her anxious chirping, hopped down on the ground 



218 







Fig. 186. OVENBIRD RETURNING TO NEST. 






and apparently commenced to walk aimlessly about picking 
up a bit of food here and there. 

The Ovenbird walks, not hops, very daintily; Mr. Ernest 
Seton Thompson has very aptly termed the bird "A Pretty 
Pedestrian". Every circuit brought her closer to her little 
oven-like home, until at last she hopped on a twig just 
over the arch, and within the scope of the lens. A sharp 
click and one more bird had been photographically shot. 
We were fortunate to have taken these pictures as we did, 
for two days later a slight hollow in the ground was the 



219 



only sign of where the nest had been. Whether its disap- 
pearance was due to a two or a four-footed animal could 
not be surmised as red squirrels were abundant in the woods 
and people were constantly crossing. 

The finding of another nest, a few days later, yielded 
one more picture of an Ovenbird just entering her "oven". 




Fig. 187. OVENBIRD ENTERING NEST. 

This nest too was destroyed, presumably by chipmunks, be- 
fore the eggs had hatched. 



Yellow Warbler. 

The Yellow Warbler or "Summer Yellowbird" is a beau- 
tiful, little, golden sprite that we are sure to find flitting 
about in clumps of willows or alders that overhang almost 
any brook. We often find them, too, in orchards for they 
take very kindly to civilization. Its song is a simple little 
ditty, "cher-wee, cher-wee, swee- swee", very similar to that 
of the Chestnut-sided Warbler and the Redstart. 

Yellow Warblers weave very pretty little homes of plant 



l 2 JO 




Fig. 188. NEST OF YELLOW WARBLER. 



fibres in crotches of bushes, not very high above ground. 
One of the most beautiful nests that I ever have seen was 
made by a pair of these birds. It was located near a cot- 
ton mill and the outside of the nests was composed entirely 
of snow-white cotton, the inside being lined with the usual 
horsehair. 



221 



As far as my observations go, these warblers seem to be 
imposed on by Cowbirds more than any other unless it be 
the Chestnut-sided. The percentage of nests containing 
these obnoxious eggs is quite large and the resulting mor- 
tality due to the over-crowding of the nest, is also quite 
large among the little Yellow Warblers. 




5 *r 

Fig. 189. NEST OF KINGFISHER. 




222 




223 

FISHER-BIRDS. 

Belted Kingfisher. 

One June day, a friend, while roaming about on the edge 
of some woods, suddenly felt the earth giving way beneath 
his feet and sprang to one side just in time, as he soon dis- 
covered, to avoid crushing a family of young kingfishers. 
Probably the old birds had misjudged the thickness of the 
earth and made the roof of their house too high, for exam- 
ination showed that less than half an inch of earth separat- 
ed the chamber from the outer world. 

My friend was very enthusiastic in his description of how 
handsome the little fellows were and it took little urging to 
induce me to accompany him to the scene the next day. I 
found that he had repaired the break in their home by plac- 
ing a large flat stone over it, so that the place was much 
more secure than before it had been broken into. The en- 
trance to the home, that is the proper one, was located in 
the side of a gravel pit about six feet from the chamber 
where the little kingfishers lay. We decided, before open- 
ing the nest again, to try and get a few views of the adult 
entering; as there were several roots projecting from the 
earth within a few inches of the opening, I expected that 
the birds would alight on one of these before entering. 

The camera was placed on a rock five feet from the open- 
ing, and carefully covered; the shutter was to be operated 
with a thread running to a clump of bushes about twenty 
yards distant. A few minutes after we had comfortably 
seated oureslves in our ambush, a warning rattle was heard 
from the bed of the brook, to be repeated a moment later 
from close at hand. Guided by the sound, we soon located 
the mother kingfisher perched on the lower limb of an oak 
and, as we had expected, she held a small fish in her beak. 

She had not seen us come and was apparently very much 
surprised to find a new, curious, bulky object (the camera) 
so near her home. Surelv this had not been there when 



224 








M 



S 



[ ~*r '^: 



/ , I 



she came last. She watched it long and very closely, ner- 
vously flirting her tail just as sandpipers are wont to do. At 
least once she changed the position of the fish she carried 
by tossing it a few inches in the air and catching it again. 
Having satisfied herself that the camera was not alive, after 
a great deal of scolding, she flew directly to the entrance 



rt : -< 




Fig. 191. The bank cut away to show the little "fishers'" at 
the end of the tunnel. 



to her home; greatly to my surprise, she alighted neither on 
the roots nor on the edge of the hole, but seemed to dash 
right in without a pause. Her departure was almost as 
rapid; she backed out the length of the tunnel and, just 
as her tail appeared at the opening, whirled about and was 
off in a flash. 

During half a dozen visits that she made, she entered 
and left in the same manner; as I was not prepared to make 
moving pictures, the best I could do was to "get her" back- 
ing out, just as she started to turn about. The bird shown 

15 



226 



in one of the illustrations, with a mullet in its bill, was 
more considerate for she lit on a stick thrust into the bank 
for that purpose and allowed Mr. R. H. Beebe to take sev- 
eral pictures of her. 

Young kingfishers are very comical birds both in appear- 
ance and in actions. At an early age, they are entirely cov- 




Fig. 192. Little Kingfishers are very 
ery during the early stages of their life. 



'spiney" or pin-feath- 



ered w r ith coarse pin-feathers, giving them a bristly appear- 
ance like little porcupines. They remain in the nest about 
three weeks at the end of which time they closely resemble 
their parents in plumage. Although six or seven of them have 
to occupy rather cramped quarters in their home, it does not 
seem to develop brotherly love to any great extent. They 
always seem to be biting at one another. On one occasion 
when I had seven of them side by side on a rail, a youngster 
on one end grabbed the fellow next to him by the wing; 
this one seized the next and so on along the whole row, the 
seven of them finally going to the ground in a connected 
tangle. Undoubtedly, their rough actions hasten their de- 



227 



velopment by bursting the casing of the pin-feathers sooner 
than they would unaided, and it may be that this is the 
purpose of their roughness. 

The tunnel that leads to the nest is just large enough for 
one bird and gives him no room to turn around. When the 
young get so they can walk, even though clumsily, they 
often meet their parent at the door way, — at least one does, 




Fig. 193. SEVEN LITTLE KINGS. 



with the others crowding in a line behind. Before feeding 
even the first one, the parent will usually force them all 
back into the enlarged chamber. This walking in single 
file, usually in step, forward and backward often gets 
them into the habit of moving in unison when they are re- 
moved from the nest. It is a most comical sight to see 
seven, frizzly-headed birds deliberately take three or four 
steps forward, backward or sidewise, as the case may be, in 



228 




229 




Fig. 195. They often grabbed and bit at one another. 



perfect lock step as though controlled by one mind or 
master. 

Little kingfishers do not seem to know fear until after 
they have made their first flight. Housed in as they are, the}' 
have no chance to see what goes on in the outer world and, 
if a man happens along, takes them out of their nest and 
groups them on a rock or branch, they take it just as a mat- 
ter of course, as though it were something that ought to hap- 
pen. After they have made their maiden flight, however* 
they object to being handled and will sometimes bite sav- 
agely. 

Their parents feed them for more than a week after they 
leave the nest, but all the time their wings are getting 
stronger and stronger so that soon they can hover over the 
water and pounce on little fish, just as their parents do. 






230 



The food of kingfishers consists wholly of small fish up 
to four inches in length. They are very persistent in their 
fishing, as much so as the man that often sits with his line 
dangling in the water for several hours without getting a 
bite. I once watched one of these birds, that happened to 




Fig. 196. A HANDSOME FAMILY. 



be perched where I could see it from my blind as I was 
taking pictures at a Vireo nest, and for two hours it sat per- 
fectly still, watching the water below it, before it got a 
chance to plunge and then it missed the fish. However, they 
make a very fair percentage of successful strikes, always 
catching their prey between the opened mandibles. 



231 

Osprey; Fish Hawk. 

The Osprey is probably the most widely distributed of all 
birds ; it is found at the proper season in nearly every coun- 
try on the globe. It is a very inoffensive bird, living ex- 
clusively upon a fish diet. While essentially a salt water 
bird it is often found about the larger lakes, especially 
during migrations. 

Ospreys are strongly protected both by law and public 
sentiment in most places where they are common and breed 
but as soon as they wander from their regular abiding 
places they put their lives in jeopardy for uneducated farm- 
ers consider all large birds as "hen-hawks" and certain 
classes of hunters take a shot at everything of size that 
comes within range. 

The same birds return to the same breeding grounds, and 
to the same nests, each year. The nests are normally placed 
among the upper branches of dead trees; they are large 
structures when first built and, as they are used and added 
to each succeeding year, they soon become very bulky; I 
have seen a number that would more than fill an ordinary 
tip-cart. Osprey eggs are usually regarded as the most 
beautifully marked of all hawks, — a rich, creamy ground 
color, covered with bright blotches of reddish-brown and 
umber. 

It is very interesting to watch Ospreys at their fishing 
grounds, — to see them sailing smoothly along on motionless 
pinions or wending their way homeward with a steady flap- 
ping, bearing their catch to waiting, little Ospreys. When 
on the lookout for fish, they usually sweep along at an ele- 
vation of perhaps one hundred feet above water. As soon 
as one is sighted in a favorable position, the Osprey hovers 
for a few moments, with wings rapidly beating the air and, 
if his quarry does not take alarm, quickly folds his wings 



232 




233 




L 



Fig. 198. BOTH BIRDS CIRCLED OVERHEAD. 



and shoots downward, headfirst; just before striking tnc 
water, the long legs are thrown forward so that the sharp 
talons reach even in front of his head, — he accomplishes the 
remarkable feat of diving into the water both headfirst and 
feet-first at one and the same time. The average success 
of Fish Hawks at their trade, seems to be about one catch 
to three misses. They will catch any kind of fish that 
swim near the surface, — -fish weighing, usually, from a half 
pound to two or three pounds. 



i 



234 



~. 




Fig. 199. OSPREY LEAVING NEST. 



235 

Twice in one day, I witnessed a scene in bird-dom that is 
rarely observed, — that of an eagle pursuing an Osprey. 
This act was first noted by Audubon and has been copied 
widely from his writings, but few have had the opportunity 
of actually seeing it. Near Lynnhaven Inlet on the coast 
of Virginia, Bald Eagles were very plentiful as also were 
Ospreys. The latter caught most of their fish out of the 
nets that were set at frequent intervals by fishermen. The 
eagles fed largely upon dead fish that washed ashore, the 
same as did the buzzards, but often they, too, went fishing 
in the weirs. 

I had located an Osprey nest, containing young, about 
two hundred yards fiom the beach; standing at the foot of 
this tree I could, at one time, count sixteen eagles in sight. 
To decide whether the Ospreys and eagles were on friendly 
terms, I spent the greater part of a day watching them. 
Unfortunately, as it was a ten mile walk from my stopping 
place, I did not have my graflex with me. 

One of the Ospreys, bearing a fish in its talons, came to 
the nest about every half hour. Although several eagles 
were perched on some of the dead trees, which were half 
covered by the drifting sands, within a hundred yards of 
the nest, they did not attempt to molest the smaller bird ex- 
cept in two instances; they did, however, all watch the in- 
coming hawks with the greatest of interest. 

On one occasion, perhaps in a spirit of bravado for, 
with food so plenty, there was no excuse for marauding, a 
young, very dark, Bald Eagle, uttering a single shrill whis- 
tle, flew to meet a returning Osprey. Evidently the same 
thing had happened before for the hawk immediately 
wheeled and started mounting skyward, uttering piercing, 
tremulous screams. With only an occasional flap of his 
huge wings, the eagle closely followed, ascending in wide 
spirals until both were nearly lost to view, even when view- 
ed with powerful binoculars. I should judge that they were 



\S6 




Fig. 200. ABOUT TO ALIGHT. 



237 



fully two miles up when the hawk released his prey, — so 
high that I could not see what happened, but the eagle came 
swooping grandly to the perch he had left, bearing the 
prize, while the poor Osprey went out to the weirs for an- 
other one. Undoubtedly stolen fish tasted much sweeter to 
the eagle than if he had captured it himself, even though the 
latter course would have required but a fractional part of 
the energy he expended in mounting to the clouds. 

On another occasion the same thing happened, but the 
Osprey released his prey before he had ascended half a 
mile, the eagle lazily reaching out one leg and grasping it 
as it fell past him. Eagles have wonderful control of them- 
selves when in the air. I have seen one, that was attacked 
by crows from above it, repeatedly turn completely over in 
midair and present his talons toward his tormentors. 

Ospreys nest not only in dead trees but on cliffs, on the 
ground, on the cross arms of telegraph poles and even on 
unused chimneys. 



238 




Fig. 201. NEST OF SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 

Sandpiper eggs are very handsome,— gray buff, blotched and 
specked with blackish-brown. 



239 



MY SANDPIPER FRIENDS. 

We were destined to become friends. For years, as long 
ago as I can remember, these Spotted Sandpipers, or some 
of their ancestors, had frequented the shores of a tiny pond 
and had, each year, built their nests in some of the border- 
ing fields. Likewise, as far back as my memory takes me, 
the fields surrounding this same little pond were included in 
one of my favorite and most frequent rambles. Each year, 
the first week in May, I have welcomed my sandpiper 




Fig. 202. RETURNING TO HER NEST. 



240 




241 



friends on their return from the sunny south, have listened 
to their fife-like notes as they chased one another about, or 
have watched them skimming across the pond with the pecu- 
liar, tremulous flutter of the down-curved wings, character- 
istic of sandpipers. 

By the end of May, they cease their play and settle down 
to business. Having selected a suitable spot, the female 
builds a nest, — not a very strenuous task, for she simply 
squats in the grass and turns around a few times, thus form- 
ing a hollow of the correct shape. Sometimes she will wind 
a few grasses around the hollow but often she does not do 
even that much. 

One morning as I passed through a clearing in some 
small pines near the pond, a bird fluttered from nearly 
under my feet. A glance proved it to be a Spotted Sand- 
piper and another glance showed me that I had nearly trod 
upon the four eggs upon which she had been sitting. She 
tried her best to lead me away; apparently she was very 
severely wounded for she limped with one leg, both wings 
dragged on the ground and, every few steps, she would fall 
over as though exhausted. It was a very fine piece of act- 
ing and would deceive anyone not accustomed to it (still 
men who profess to be scientists say that birds and mam- 
mals have no intelligence; personally I believe that many 
birds and many mammals have a higher degree of intelli 
gence than some of those who claim everything is done by 
instinct or imitation). 

Although I had found a great many nests of these birds, 
I was glad to locate this because I had never made photo- 
graphs of them and this nest offered an excellent opportun- 
ity to do so. The eggs were handsomely marked, as is 
usual with those of this species; they had little to conceal 
them from view, except their coloration, which harmonized 
so well with the surroundings that, at ten feet distance it 
was almost impossible to pick them out. 



16 



242 




Fig. 204. She sat there as calmly as if I were miles away, 
though I could have reached out and touched her. 



243 

As I have said, this nest was in a clearing where there 
was not a particle of shelter, not even a spear of grass to 
keep the sun's rajs off at any time during the day. On ex- 
ceedingly warm days, I used often to think of this bird, sit- 
ting there, panting, but faithful to her charges. Even 
worse to endure than the sun, was the rain. At that time, 
there occurred four days of the heaviest rainfall we had 
ever experienced and I was very doubtful about her being- 
able to stand it. However, when the sun shone on the morn- 
ing of the fifth day, she slipped away from the nest, upon 
my approach, none the worse for her drenching. Only one 
who has been caught in the fields or woods, far from shel- 
ter,, in a driving rain, can appreciate the hardships that 
birds have to undergo at such times. 

Early one morning, I appeared with all my paraphernalia 
for picture making. She slid off the eggs as usual and flew 
down to the pond; she knew from experience that I would 
not be deceived so she never now tried to feign lameness. 
Just for an experiment, one morning later, I had a friend 
approach the nest first and she tried her best to decoy him 
away. Certainly this showed at least a ray of intelligence 
for, while she knew that I was aware of her nest and rea- 
soned that it would be useless to try and deceive me, she 
tried it with everyone else. 

I used a green umbrella-tent placed so that the front edge 
was about two feet from the eggs. This was covered with 
small pine branches, not to deceive the bird, but so as not to 
attract much notice should anyone come that way, as they 
frequently did. I soon had a camera focussed carefully on 
the eggs and was lying comfortably on the ground awaiting 
the return of my hostess. Presently I heard her approach- 
ing, her calls sounding plainer and plainer each time they 
were repeated. Finally she stood on a stone about twenty 
feet away, 'teetering' as sandpipers always do, and eying 
sharply the new addition to the landscape. 



244 



Everything was perfectly still and there seemed to be 
no signs of life about, so she stepped from her elevation 
and approached, slowly, uncertainly and with many pauses 
to look anxiously about her. She made a complete circuit 
of the tent three times, often brushing against its sides and 
passing within six inches of the small peek-hole through 
which I was breathlessly watching. Finally she stopped 




Fig. 205. She stepped carefully between the eggs and settled 
down. 



245 




Fig. 206. She kept a sharp watch of the great glass eyes that 
stared so steadily at her, only three feet away. 



at her nest, gently touched one of the eggs with her bill and 
then, suddenly catching sight of the great camera-eye star- 
ing at her, quickly jumped back. Approaching even more 
cautiously, she ran right across the eggs and whirled about 
quickly to see if anything happened. The next time she 
fondled all the eggs and at last was contentedly settled up- 
on them. 

The click of the shutter the first few exposures, startled 
her a trifle but she very quickly got accustomed to it and 
paid no attention to the tent or anything that went on within 



246 



♦ " 




'jA J,- it 








Mpr 


;1 C >*? ' • 




4^:€^Krt^ 







Fig. 207. From <img to iimf s/ie /ia£/* arose ana" carefully 
treaded the eggs over. 



it. I even opened a large flap in the front of the tent, 
stuck my head out and watched her from a distance of less 
than twenty-four inches, without frightening her off the 
nest. I often wondered what she thought of the new con- 
ditions and what wonderful tales she told her mate when 
she joined him at the edge of the pond. I think she muse 
have concluded that I was harmless, had built a large green 
nest near hers and was as much entitled to live there as she 



Invariably when returning to the nest, after a short ab- 
sence, she would feel of the eggs with her bill, carefully 



247 

turn them over, then cautiously step on or between them and 
settle down to her task. When sitting, her wings were 
drooped so as to rest on the ground and her head was drawn 
well back on her shoulders. She seemed to be interested 
in all that transpired about her, watching the small birds 
as they flitted through the pines and twisting her head in 
all manner of positions to watch others as they flew over- 
head. 

Three times, while I watched, danger threatened her 
home, but she met it bravely and in the best manner to fit the 
occasion. Once she saw a man coming through the trees 
before I had heard his approach; her feathers drew closer 
to her sides and she became as motionless as the stone be- 
side her. When he was within about twenty yards she slip- 
ped quietly off the nest, sneaked through the scanty grass 
to a distance of about thirty feet and hid behind a larger 
stone. The man passed without even noticing my tent and 
the sandpiper came leisurely back, stopping several times 
to pick up insects. 

The next time we were disturbed, we did not escape so 
easily. A man approached from the rear so quickly that 
there was no time for her to hide; he came lumbering 
through the pines, going right over any bushes that were in 
his path. I was forced to step out of the tent and stop him 
for fear he would go right over it. He started back as 
though he had seen a ghost, with a "Waall I swan! I 
never seen yer !" I explained that I was making photo- 
graphs, but did not say what of, and he went his way with- 
out seeing the nest nor the bird that was running off with 
trailing wings. 

The third danger might have been serious had I not been 
there, but believe she would have pulled through all right. 
She was sitting quietly on her eggs, tending strictly to busi- 
ness, when I suddenly saw a startled look come into her 
eyes. Looking in the same direction, I saw a large, hand- 



^ 



248 



%"£>*■ 




Fig. 208. Little sandpipers are beautiful little mites, covered 
with soft down. They run very swiftly and hide most effectively. 



some gray squirrel ; he would take a few, graceful bounds 
towards us, then stop and search about him — ever coming 
nearer. My sandpiper friend left her nest and ran to meet 
him, which she did about ten yards from her nest. Then 
began the prettiest bit of bird-strategy I ever seen. A bird 
actually wounded could not act the part any better than 
she did; he kept springing toward her, possibly in play, 



2t9 

but she always avoided him and led him further away from 
her nest. Finally she flew away to the pond leaving him 
in bewilderment. I do not know what he would have done, 
could he have caught her but I do know what would have 
happened if he had found her four eggs. I have seen 
many bird homes broken up by gray squirrels and more by 
the smaller red variety. In order to prevent any further ex- 
ploration on his part, I left the tent and chased him from 
the grove, an easy matter since I could shake him out of any 
pine he climbed. 

Quite often, as she sat upon the nest, she would answer 
the male birds as they called to one another or to their 
mates, from the pond. It sounded alarmingly loud and 
clear to hear her call, at such a short distance. Just once I 
heard her give a low series of whistles, or rather warbles; 
she was probably so happy that she was singing to herself, 
unaware that she had an appreciative audience. 

Several times, the male bird came up to the edge of the 
clearing and conversed with her by means of low "pipings", 
but he never came to the nest, and I do not think he ever 
sat upon the eggs; at least, the bird that I saw always ap- 
peared to be the same one. One morning I found only a 
few small pieces of egg shell. Her little ones were born 
during the night and, somewhere in the fields, she was lead- 
ing them about. The little ones are born covered with a soft 
gray and white down, marked with a few black stripes. 
They can run very fast and will hide themselves most ef- 
fectively at a warning "pipe" from their mother. 



250 




Fig. 209. NESTING-TREE OF DOWNY AND WREN. 



251 



THE WOODLAND APARTMENT. 

The woodland apartment was accidentally discovered be- 
cause of a feud existing between two of the families re- 
siding therein. One bright June morning I started on one 
of my frequent camera-hunting expeditions, my objective 
point being the home of a pair of Wood Thrushes that had 
kindly placed their nest in a very favorable position in some 
alders overhanging a beautiful brook. I was forcing my 
way slowly through a tangled mass of brakes and briers 
when, a short distance away, I heard the clear, ringing, 
rollicking song of a House Wren. It was the same wren- 
song with which I was familiar, full of those bubbling, 
gurgling tones, but -t stopped abruptly in the middle. In 
a few moments it sounded again and again the song was 




Figg. 210-211. The wren would alight on the stump and com- 
mence to sing; Downy would promptly drive him off. 




Fig. 212. NEST OF DOWNY. 
Opening made to show the eggs. 



!53 



terminated in the same way. "Well," thought I. " that is 
strange ! What can be troubling the little fellow. I surely 
must look into this". 

Just beyond the fringe of the woods was a fallen apple 
tree, its trunk lying prone upon the ground but with several 




Figs. 213, 214, 215. SOME VIEWS AT THE NEST HOLE. 



gaunt graved branches pointing upward. On the tip of one 
of these was Sir Wren. At the very moment that I sighted 
him, he lifted his head, swelled his throat and the liquid 
notes just trickled through his vibrating mandibles; almost 
at the same instant a gleam of black and white flashed 
through the air and he dodged just in time to escape the 
savage rush of a Downy Woodpecker. Alighting on another 
stump, the wren again burst into song, only to be pursued 
by the Downy as before. 

Downy Woodpeckers are usually peaceable birds. But 
one thing could cause the strange actions of this one, — a 
nest. Sure enough, about half way up in the larger of the 



254 




Fig. 216. The plumage of the female was rough and worn. 



255 



erect stubs was a little round hole, — the entrance to the 
Downy home. Why should the wren so persistently stay in 
this dead tree when the woodpecker was striving so fiercely 
to drive him away ? Again the answer revealed itself ; lower 
down in a shorter limb was another hole, — the wren home. 
Fitting a long-focus lens to the graflex I made a view of 




Fig. 217. The four little woodpeckers looked little different 
from their parents. 



the wren just as he commenced his song and also one of 
the woodpecker just after he had charged. 

Investigation showed that Downy already had five, 
glossy, white eggs reposing on the bare wood floor of his 
house. The wrens probably had arrived that very morning 
for they were just commencing work on their home. Con- 
sidering the quiet domestic life that these woodpeckers are 
wont to lead, it is little wonder that they objected to the 
presence of the boisterous and inquisitive pair of wrens. 
They thought, correctly, that the continual song would sure- 



256 




Fig. 218. The plumage of the male was always sleek. 



257 

ly betray the hiding place of the one spot most dear to them. 
Downy took upon himself the task of driving away the un- 
welcome neighbors. His persistence was commendable but 
the lack of good generalship on his part, rendered his ef- 
forts futile. Instead of devoting his energies to preventing 
the building of their nest, he chased the male bird every 
time it started to sing. The little wren seemed to regard 
this as a sort of bird-play and, apparently, greatly enjoyed 




Fig. 219. The adult female (on the left) about to feed one ot 
the young. 

it; with just a short break in his song he kept dodging and 
flying back and forth singing louder and louder as the 
chase grew warmer. 

Meanwhile the female wren was just as busy as she could 
be, carrying in small twigs, grasses and feathers; she was 
so very industrious that the nest was wholly completed the 
first day. 

Angry "chucks" proceeding from under the fallen trunk 
soon attracted attention to another tenant in this woodland 
apartment. A hole in the ground at the base of the stump 
showed where a Chipmunk had taken refuge and his sharp, 
muffled voice showed that he did not approve of 



xi 



258 




Fig. 220. The little woodpeckers were not in the least afraid. 



259 




Fig. 221. One of them was very modest and tried to back 
down out of sight. 



the intrusion. A closer inspection of Downy's nest brought 
to my attention a fourth family occupying the top flat. A 
small colony of wood-boring bees had taken possession of 
the decayed interior of the limb about two feet above the 
entrance to the woodpecker nest. A number of small holes 
furnished the doors to this apartment; from these doors, 
from time to time, came tiny clouds of dust resembling 
smoke, showing that the occupants were still at work with 
their excavating. 

Never did apartment block have more congenial surround- 



260 




Fig. 222. Little Doumies can climb well too. 



ings, the field-lawn was gaily decked with moon-faced 
daisies and golden buttercups. On one side was a large 
swamp, its spagnum moss-covered floor studded here and 
there with the rosette-like pitcher plants with deep red 
flowers nodding on slender stalks above the half-filled leaf 
pitchers that lure and destroy many insects. The humming 
of the bees, as they bumbled about the spotted, orange cor- 
nucopias of the jewel weed, suspended from under the 
leaves of the rank-growing plants that fringed the swamp, 
made an accompaniment to the sweet songs of Wood 
Thrushes. 



261 




Fig. 223. MALE HOUSE WREN. 
This is "Jack" as wc soon got in the habit of calling him. 



262 



On the other side the hand of man manifested itself in 
two shining ribbons of steel, stretching away into the dis- 
tance along which thundered the sixty-mile-an-hour express 
and the slow, lumbering freights, not near enough to the 
apartment to be objectionable but just right to break the 
monotony of song and trees and flowers. 




Fig. 224. JACK BRINGS A SPIDER. 



Ten days later the wren nest contained seven finely 
speckled treasures and the pair of woodpeckers were very 
busy trying to satisfy the unending appetites of five little 
woodpeckers. Both male and female Downy would enter 
and leave the nest without regard to us, even though we 
were nearly within arm's reach of them. Consequently 
we had no difficulty in securing a large series of photo- 



L 



263 




Fig. 225. Her plumage was not as smooth as Jack's, 
haps because she worked harder. 



-per- 



graphs. Downy's plumage was always clean and neat but 
that of his mate was quite worn and soiled, probably be- 
cause she had been obliged to do nearly all of the work be- 
fore the appearance of their little ones. 

The adults made alternate trips with food about every 
five minutes, one often remaining in the nest until the other 
arrived. Usually they brought but a single grub at a time, 
but occasionally one of them would make a "lucky strike" 
and bring a whole mouthful. This nest was visited nearly 
every morning in order to keep tabs on the growth of the 
youngsters ; the older they got, the noiser they were, making 
loud whining sounds when they were being fed. 

One morning I found one of them clinging to the outside 
of the trunk and the rest crowded about the small entrance. 



264 




Fig. 226. Jack brought a wasp,— minus wings and legs. 



They were tired of their cramped quarters and were about to 
explore the outside world. As we approached, they all 
scrambled out and commenced climbing up the trunk. We 
brought them down to a horizontal limb, but they were very 
restless; they had an idea that they were large enough to 
fly and wanted to try it right away. Two of them were 
quite bashful ; every time we tried to focus the camera on 
them they would slide down the back side of the limb to 
get out of the view. 



265 




Fig. 227. 



Finally, as my father was trying to straighten them out, 
they all scrambled on his sleeve and, one by one, climbed to 
his shoulder from which elevation they made their maiden 
flights to the woods beyond. 

Meanwhile the wren eggs had also hatched and the male 
bird was happier than ever. So closely did his songs follow 
one another that it almost seemed as though a tiny, repeat- 
ing phonograph must be concealed in his throat. We had 
visited the woodland apartment so frequently that neither 
of the wrens paid any attention to us. In fact we had come 
to know them as Jack and Jenny respectively. Like that 
of the male woodpecker, Jack's plumage was always sleek 
and orderly; also similarly and for the same reasons, that 
of his mate was worn, one tail feather was gone and another 
shorter than it ought to have been. We made pictures of 



266 




Fig. 228, 229. Jack assumed various poses. 



them in all positions, head down, head up, bringing loads 
of plant lice, spiders, wasps, small grasshoppers and many 
other kinds of insects. 

Jack devoted so much of his time to singing that his mate 
brought fully twice as many loads of food as he did. It was 
really amusing to see him sometimes try to sing when he had 
his beak filled to overflowing with insects; he could get in 
all the gurgling notes but he had to omit many of those 
that called for a rapid motion of the bills. 

As in the case with the woodpecker, we happened to visit 
them on the morning the little wrens were to say goodbye 
to their home, but the results we obtained were entirely dif- 
ferent. As soon as I touched the stump it seemed as though 
I had pulled the trigger of a gun, for the stump imme- 
diately belched forth little wrens. I clapped my hand over 
the opening but they poured out through ray fingers and 



267 



seven of the little fellows went scuttling away through the 
grass as fast as their wings and legs could carry them. Try 
as we would, we could not get more than four of them at a 
time and we could not persuade even one of those to sit still 
and look respectable while we made a portrait of him. 




Fig. 230. YOUNG HOUSE WRENS. 



We did not disturb the remaining tenant and I am sure 
that the chipmunks were delighted to see us take our final 
departure. They probably also was glad to see the birds 
go for they were not on friendly terms with one another. 
Chipmunks have the unfortunate habit of sometimes tak- 
ing birds' eggs from their nests, a habit that forces birds 
to try and drive them away from the immediate vicinity of 
their homes. Whenever, therefore, Mr. Chipmunk appear- 
ed on the stump or tree trunk, either the Downy or wren 
was pretty sure to dash at him. He could easily escape the 
onslaughts of Downy by dodging around the limb, but the 



268 




Fig. 231. This was an inexperienced wren; she always found 
it difficult to get long twigs in the small door. 



wren was even more agile than he and would put him to 
flight every time. 

Downy did not like the colony of bees either ; often I had 
seen him hitch around the tree trunk when they buzzed 
about his head. A number of times, too, I saw him spring 
up and catch one in his beak and carry it to his little ones. 
I think it quite probable that he may have exterminated the 
whole colony in this waj^ before he left, — at any rate I did 
not notice them afterwards. 



L 



269 




Fig. 232. AN ARTISTIC WREN HOME. 



270 




Fig. 233. NEST OF CAROLINA WREN. 



The big Carolina Wren is not at all particular in regard to 
nesting site, building in hollow trees or anywhere about houses. 



271 
FEATHERED TYRANTS. 

Kingbirds. 

How well the name applies to these birds ! Kings by- 
name, kings by nature and, if we may consider the concealed 
orange patch on the top of their heads as a crown, kings in 
raiment. Although they are usually called tyrannical and 
despotic in manner, it will be noticed that they very seldom 
quarrel with birds smaller than themselves, but confine their 
attacks chiefly to predacious birds. By driving away 
grackles, jays and squirrels, Kingbirds perform an invalua- 
ble service to all their orchard friends. And their attacks 
upon hawks often relieve the farmer of any anxieties in 




Fig. 234. One of their favorite lookout perches was a dried 
mullein stalk. 



272 




Fig. 235. NEST OF KINGBIRD. 



regard to his chickens, although few of the hawks touch 
poultry in summer. 

The sight of a bird of prey is to a Kingbird, like a red 
flag flaunted before a bull. He immediately starts in pur- 
suit, get above the larger bird and keeps dashing down at 
it. It is strange fact that hawks or crows never attempt to 
defend themselves but will exert themselves to the utmost 
to escape from the torment. 



273 







Fig. 236. An unusual site; their nests are usually among 
the smaller outer branches of trees. 



18 



274 




Fig. 237. INSPECTION. 



Although Kingbirds are commonly found about man's 
habitations, they have their likes and dislikes; every stranger 
is considered as an enemy until he has proved otherwise. 
The notes of Kingbirds are loud, sharp, metallic "tsee" 's, 
that have a disagreeable sound and carry too far for the 
comfort of any person who has no business in an orchard. 

A pair of Kingbirds, I believe the same ones each season, 
returned every year to a certain orchard. As they had seen 
me pass through their domains so often, I thought that per- 
haps they might prove friendly with me and my camera, 
so I started to visit them one morning, armed photographic- 



275 




Fig.238. THREE LITTLE KINGS. 



ally. As I approached the orchard they came out to meet 
me, not with words of welcome, but with their usual pene- 
trating notes of warning. When I paused beneath their 
nest they became so vociferous that they put the whole 
orchard population into a panic; Robins, Bluebirds, Chip- 
ping and Song Sparrows, Orioles, House Wrens and a pair 
of Tree Swallows, swarmed about me all giving their var- 
ious notes of distress and alarm. It required but a few 
minutes of this noise to bring forth the farmer to investi- 
gate. 






276 




Fig. 239. 



I first made peace with the owner of the orchard and then 
tried to do the same with the birds, the latter being a much 
more difficult matter. It required visits of an hours duration 
on six different days before the Kingbirds had sufficient con- 
fidence to return and feed their young while I was con- 
cealed in the tree. 

Kingbird nests are quite large affairs of rootlets, grasses, 
gray fibres, string, paper, etc. Their four or five cream- 
colored eggs are very handsomely spotted with reddish- 
brown. Their food consists almost wholly of insects that 
are caught in the air. The birds have their favorite look- 



277 



out perches and, so keen is their sight, that they will note 
passing insects at a distance of fifty yards and dash out to 
seize them, — a loud snapping of the mandibles testifying 
to their success and of the demise of another insect. 

Many winged insects enter into their bill-of-fare. Large 
grasshoppers, dragonflies, cicadas, etc., are favorites and 
are even fed to the little kingbirds while in the nest. 



*3y* . *^ m 











Figs. 240, 241 She fed them spiders, millers, small wasps, 
dragon-flies, etc. 



Arkansas Kingbird. 

The Western or Arkansas Kingbird is a very different 
bird from our eastern one in appearance. Its underparts, 
instead of being white, are yellowish and the back is gray 
instead of being slate-colored. This species is common west 
of the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Neither 
their natures nor their nesting habits differ materially from 
those of our common bird. The one shown in the illustra- 
tion chose an eave-through in which to place her home; it 
certainly was on a secure foundation but she failed to reckon 
on the sun that was to shine on the nest for about eight 



278 




i 



279 




Fig. 243. Too big for the nest, they clambered out ow'Jhe 
limbs. 

hours of every pleasant day. She had to pay dearly for 
her lack of foresight, by standing over and shading her 
little ones during the greater part of each day. 

Other Kingbirds, both the common and the western varie- 
ties, have been known to make their homes in bushes, on 
the tops of fence posts and even among the large branches 
that form the bulk of Osprey nests. 

Rocky Mountain Jay. 
This is a sub-species of, and quite similar in appearance 
to, the Canada Jay commonly found in the northern tier 
of states and in Canada. No bird is better known to the 
lumbermen, trappers and hunters along our northern bor- 
ders than the Canada Jay. It is seldom, however, that it is 
known by this name, — being called locally "Moose Bird," 
"Camp-robber," "Whiskey Jack" (a corruption of the In- 
dian name "Wis-ka-tjon"), and many others usually indica- 
tive of some of their bad traits. 



_J 



280 




i 




.... -.. ■ — 



i-i ' --' '',~- '-''- SiMi 

m ■ ■ \ . 




Fig. 244. ARKANSAS KINGBIRD. 



A handsome western species, — gray above and pale yellow\be- 
low. 



2S1 




Fig. 245. ROCKY MOUNTAIN JAY. 



The habits of these birds are very similar to those of our 
Blue Jay but they are ever so much bolder, in fact they 
seem to be devoid of fear for man. During the summer 
months they are very, very destructive to small bird life; a 
single pair has been known to devour the young from four 
Junco nests in a single day. 



J 




Fig. 245. This jay is one of the boldest, most inquisitive and 
most destructive birds known. 



283 

Their habits and their familiarity with mankind can be 
judged from the following from "The American Field." 
Anyone familiar with Canada Jays can vouch for its truth. 
"He will eat anything from soap to plug tobacco. His ap- 
petite and capacity to store away food is beyond belief. 
One day we had a dozen large salmon trout hung up to dry, 
but being absent from camp for a few hours we returned to 
find four Whiskey Jacks had totally annihilated our fish. 
They would fly off with pieces half a large as themselves 
and in a few minutes return for more. I have fed them 
small bits until they could hardly fly enough to get to a tree. 
Our pork, soap, tobacco and other provisions were unsafe 
in their sight and reach. Our Indians used to say: 'Him 
eat moccasins, fur cap, matches, anytink'." 

In regard to the white-headed Rocky Mountain Jay, Mr. 
Frank M. Drew says: "In autumn, when on his first tour 
of inspection about the house, he hops along in a curious 
sidelong manner, just like a schoolgirl in a slow hurry. 
White-headed, grave and sedate, he seems a very paragon of 
propriety, and if you appear to be a suitable personage, he 
will be apt to give you a bit of advice. Becoming confi- 
dential, he sputters out a lot of nonsense in a manner which 
causes you to think him a veritable 'Whiskey Jack;' yet 
when he is so disposed, a more bland, mind-his-own-business 
appearing bird will be hard to find, as will also be many 
small articles around camp after one of his visits, for his 
whimsical brain has a great fancy for anything which may 
be valuable to you but perfectly useless to him." 

While everyone admits the great havoc wrought by these 
jays, their very impudence, boldness and audacity are so 
interesting and often amusing that nobody has the desire 
to kill them. 



284 




Fig. 246. NEST OF LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE 
Six grayish-white eggs, spotted with yellowish-brown. 



L 



285 

Loggerhead Shrike 
I. E. Hess. 

Perched on the topmost twig of an osage-orange tree, his 
gray suit and rounded form silouetted against the leaden 
March sky, we see the first Loggerhead of the season. He 
is one of the earlier spring arrivals, being preceded only 
by the Robin, Bluebird. Grackle and Song Sparrow. 

Totally ignoring the bleak north winds, and the gloomy 




Fig. 247. ADULT SHRIKE ON NEST. 



286 




Fig. 248. The male brings a small caterpillar to the newly- 
hatched youny . 



287 





r ■ 




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yfl 1 1 








i 
1 • i 


I ^kc 




S v - 


Br 








sr* 


b^BBHshj^Bm 






•t. 










.•■-■''■-. 













Fig. 249. The male often stood on guard while his mate was 
on the nest. 



threatening clouds, he sounds his call notes merrily. This 
is his early spring song and how different it is from his 
harsh and discordant notes of the previous autumn. His 
bell-like calls are now far from unpleasant to our ears and 
we rejoice in the vocal improvement he has made. 

The Northern Shrike, cousin "borealis," is an accomplish- 
ed songster, — a veritable mocking bird of the northland and 
although we conceded him the palm upon the first hearing, 
we are none the less proud of our own Loggerhead for the 
two clear, sweet notes he is capable of producing. The 
Loggerhead arrives about the middle of March, the males 
preceding the females by but a few days. 



288 




Fig. 250. Almost old enough to leave home. 



L 



289 

When Mrs. Loggerhead arrives no time is lost in com- 
mencing a new home, which is usually near where last year's 
domicile was located. Great energy is at first displayed, 
but later considerable dallying is noticed and often two or 
three weeks are required in which to complete the new home. 
It is a worthy structure, however, in its finished state, and, 
like the scriptural house that was founded on a rock, is able 
to withstand the March winds that come and the April floods 
that are sure to descend upon it. The foundation is of 
sticks and thorny twigs, laced and interlaced with root- 
lets, grasses and strings. The deep and beautifully rounded 
inner-nest is thickly and softly lined with the fur of small 
animals and with feathers. The waving feathers give it an 
appearance of warmth and comfort and it certainly proves 
an attractive and well-loved place, for its owners are sel- 
dom found at any distance from it. 

A ride along our country roads during the first week in 
April will disclose many shrike nests in the process of con- 
struction. They are easily observed at this season, for it is 
a full month before the leafing of the hedges, and this ren- 
ders them very conspicuous. This fact is in marked contrast 
with the nesting habits of birds in general, the great ma- 
jority of which depend upon the dense foliage to hide their 
treasures from curious eyes. Except in occasional instances, 
however, the conspicuity of shrike nests, does not prove det- 
rimental to their safety, for only by extremely hard labor 
and an absolute indifference to thorns, can one and its con- 
tents be examined. The nests are placed in the thorniest 
and most impenetrable parts of the hedge-rows and usually 
just out of reach from the ground. 

From the observations of several years during which hun- 
dreds of shrike nests have been examined, I would estimate 
that a line drawn horizontally seven feet six inches from 
the ground, would pass through a majority of them, while 



19 







*2 



8 



291 

perhaps ninety per cent, would be included between two 
parallel lines six and eight feet respectively above ground. 
This is certainly a noteworthy characteristic of his habits 
and represents the acumen of generations of shrike experi- 
ence. 

A foot or more higher and the cosily-lined home would be 
buffeted about by the fierce spring winds, perhaps with dis- 
astrous results. A foot or so lower would bring them within 
the limits of the curiosity and mercy of the country lad, the 
former trait of whom is unlimited and the latter seldom 
demonstrated. Even located as they are, we too often see a 
nest turned on its side, with a cornstalk thrust through it 
and the contents broken upon the ground. Short legs and 
shorter arms not being able to secure, the selfishness of 
human nature shows itself in destroying that which cannot 
be obtained. 

Our Loggerhead is not, however, discouraged by occa- 
sional reverses but will immediately proceed to build a new 
home and a fortnight later be happily engrossed in his new 
possessions. It is here that we see him at his best, for he is 
strictly a home bird, and will not object to a much closer in- 
spection of his life than is allowed by most birds. 

His personal appearance is one of meekness and does not 
in the least betray that cruel hidden nature that often shows 
itself in an undeniable manner. While Mother Nature de- 
creed that he should prey upon the field mice and other de- 
structive rodents, and gave to him a hooked beak that he 
might more readily devour his prey, we find it hard to 
forgive his cannibalistic tendencies when we discover a 
little song bird impaled upon the cruel thorns. We are more 
willing however, to forgive his faults when we see the love 
and attention he bestowes upon his little mate and the un- 
selfish care he devotes to his family of little ones. 

The male proves an admirable character in his home life. 
He helps to build the nest and is the constant companion 



292 



of his mate during incubation. He brings her food while 
she is setting or temporarily relieves her of the task. He 
helps in feeding and caring for the young and, taken al- 
together, is a model and exemplary husband whose virtues 
far outweigh his faults. The number of eggs deposited 
and making a complete set is usually six, although some- 
times but five are laid. 







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l7ulvm£i'i\?JE5^H^^HIH 


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Fig. 252. T/ie Flicker takes one glance about her, then dash- 
es out at full speed. 



293 




Fig. 253. NEST OF FLICKER. 
Stump broken away so as to show the eggs 



294 




Fig. 254. FLICKER AT NEST-HOLE. 



295 

THE WOOD-HEWERS. 
Flicker or Golden-winged Woodpecker. 

All woodpeckers may be classed as carpenters; they all 
build their homes in the trunks or branches of trees. Usu- 
ally decayed limbs are chosen but sometimes the larger and 
stronger species bore into the living wood. The entrances 
or doors, to these homes are made circular, and just large 
-enough to allow the birds body to slip through. The cavity 
within is larger and varies in depth from six inches, which 
is large enough for the little black and white Downy, to a 
foot for the Flicker and two feet or more for larger wood- 
peckers like the Pileated. 

Just as different human beings differ in temperament, so 
■do birds. Some are very cautious especially in all their 
acts about their homes while others are ''happy-go-lucky" 
and give no thought to danger. A pair of Flickers, that 
decided to make their home in a large chestnut tree, were 
of this latter class. 

One morning I heard a steady, muffled chopping as I was 
walking along the edge of the woods. Following the sound, 
brought me to the foot of this tree. Although it was evi- 
dent that the bird was pounding away on the inside, it 
would have been difficult to have located the nest but for the 
fact that on one side of the tree, the ground was conspic- 
uously covered with chips. Looking upwards from this 
spot I could see about two inches of the tail of a busy 
Flicker, protruding from a hole about twenty feet up. Soon 
she stopped hammering, backed out and more chips came 
fluttering down. 

Both Flickers worked on this excavating for about a week 
before the chamber was large enough to suit them; they 
both had the same careless habit of simply dropping the 
ohips from the opening. It was an advertisement notifying 
beast, bird or man that above was the nest of some wood- 
peckers. Of course these tell-tale chips may have had noth- 



296 



ing to do with the outcome, but one day, soon after their 
set of eggs was completed, I saw a pair of red squirrels 
playing about the tree and often going into the Flicker 
nest. An investigation showed that the eggs were missing. 
More careful were the Flickers that dwelt in a large wil- 
low overhanging a swiftly flowing brook. Every chip was- 




Fig. 255. Young flickers do not like to 



before a camera. 



prudently carried away for a distance of a hundred yards 
or more before it was dropped. 

Flickers are very different in their habits from other 
woodpeckers. They get more of their food from the ground 
than they do from trees; they are exceedingly fond of ants, 
one bird often destroying a whole colony at one meal. They 
also usually alight on branches crosswise, as a perching 
bird does, instead of lengthwise like the other members of 
the family. 



297 

Five to eight glossy white eggs are laid, directly upon the 
bare floor of the house or what few chips happen to remain. 
For the first week of their lives, little Flickers are fed by 
regurgitation, that is, food that has been partly digested 
by the parent. During the remainder of their stay in the 
nest, the little birds are fed largely upon ants, spiders and 
small worms or caterpillars. They are very noisy when they 
are nearly fledged, and their clamor is appalling when their 
frequent meals come around. 

I have never been able to make little Flickers pose be- 
fore the camera so as to secure a respectable picture. They 
always get into the most awkward and uncomfortable posi 
tions, and bite and claw one another so that it is almost im- 
possible to keep any kind of order. Judging from the 
squealing and confusion that always greets the return of 
one of their parents to the nest, I doubt if the old birds can 
make their youngsters behave much better than I have been 
able to. 

Red-headed Woodpecker. 

This species is one of the most beautiful of woodpeckers. 
The black, the white, and the red are distributed in such 
large, clear-cut areas that the bird cannot escape unnoticed 
when at rest or in flight. As a rule, I believe that birds of 
this species are rather proud and wish to attract as much at- 
tention as possible. They have loud, whining voices and, 
especially during the mating and early nesting season, seem 
to try to make all the noise they possibly can. 

In many respects, "Red-heads" are just the opposite of 
Flickers. Flickers are peaceable birds, — never known to 
start a neighborhood quarrel; but Red-headed Woodpeckers 
are "bird-brawlers," — never so happy as when engaged in 
arguments, or even rough and tumble fights with some 
neighbor. I am sorry to have to admit, too, that their ad- 
versaries are seldom guilty of any offense but usually have 
to protect themselves against the depredations of the Red- 
heads. 



298 




Fig. 256. YOUNG RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. 



□ The head and back is gray instead of red and black respective- 
ly as in the adults. 



299 

I have often seen the results of atrocious acts committed 
by these birds, in the shape of devastated homes of other 
birds, and once I saw a pair of them perform the act. It 
was in an old Virginia swamp where many tall, whitened, 
naked tree trunks were still standing. Two pairs of the 
woodpeckers were in evidence; I had found the nest of one 
of them, about twenty feet above ground in one of these 
dead trees. 

Many Brown-headed Nuthatches were also nesting there, 
and I had located one of their nests, — high up, where I 
could not get to it. They were very busy carrying food to 
little birds, through the little round hole in the trunk that 
led to their dwelling. One day as I was about fifty yards 
away from this tree, I saw one pair of the Red-heads sweep 
by with their usual undulating flight and alight beside the 
Nuthatch home. Evidently the cavity was shallow, for each 
woodpecker, in turn, reached his head in and pulled out a 
squirming little nuthatch. The female bore her prize away 
to her own nest, but the male took his to a near tree, pulled 
it to pieces and ate it himself. 

Of course it is but for a short season that these wood- 
peckers are destructive to the young and eggs of other birds. 
During the rest of the year they are useful in destroying a 
great many wood-borers, larvae, etc. They have the habit, 
shared by many birds that migrate little if at all, of storing 
up supplies of food for future use. They often conceal 
nuts in crevices in bark or in holes that they may make for 
that purpose. Of course some other bird has just as good 
a chance of eating the hoard as the one that stored it, but 
he, on the other hand, also uses goods stored by other in- 
dividuals. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 

Here we have another type of woodpecker. The Flicker 
has a sticky tongue, perfectly adapted for catching the ants 
it likes so well. The Red-headed Woodpecker has a tongue, 



300 




Fig. 257. Adult B(d-hcaded Woodpecker at the entrance to 
her 



301 




Fig. 258. ADULT SAPSUCKER. 



the tip of which is armed with tiny barbs, adapted to spear- 
ing insects and drawing them from under the bark or wood 
of trees. The tongue of a Sapsucker is covered with fine 
hairs at the tip making a small brush with which he can lap 
up the sap that oozes from holes he bores through the bark 
of trees. 

His food does not, however, consist even largely of sap, 
for he catches probably as many insects as others of the 
woodpecker family. Sapsuckers very frequently come to 
the suet and nut banquets that are spread for winter birds; 
it was while partaking of such a feast that the pictures of 
the Sapsuckers shown here were secured. 



302 




Fig. 259. YOUNG SAPSUCKER. 



You can see the many holes he has bored through the bark so 
as to get the sap that collects. 



80S 




305 



HOW BIRD PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MADE 

Equipment. — Nearly everyone uses a camera of some 
sort, but every camera is not suitable for our purpose of 
bird photography. Plate cameras are used almost exclu- 
sively, not because plates are better than films, but chiefly 
because with those using films you cannot focus the picture 
you wish to secure on a ground glass and because they are 
not built with sufficiently long bellows. 

More than three-quarters of the pictures shown in this 
book were taken at distances between three and four feet; 
working at this distance it is absolutely necessary that a 
very sharp focus be secured; this must be done, not by 
guesswork, but by careful viewing the image on the ground 
glass. I know of no successful bird photographer but who 
uses a plate camera for most of his or her work. 

I always advise anyone to purchase as good an outfit as 
they can afford. Undoubtedly the very best outfit that can 
be secured is the 4x5 revolving-back Graflex fitted with a 
seven and one-half inch convertible anastigmat lens in a 
compound shutter. Unfortunately, however, such an out- 
fit is very expensive. Personally, if I could have but one 
eamera, — one that I could carry about with me comfortably 
and use for all purposes, I should select a 4x5 plate 
camera having a bellows capacity of at least twelve inches 
and fitted with a seven inch anastigmat lens in a compound 
shutter. This outfit would cost in the neighborhood of 
seventy-five dollars, but would be capable of the most ex- 
acting work in all branches except high-speed work. When 
traveling, one can use a film-pack with this outfit, securing 
all the conveniences and compastness of a kodak, yet have 
the ability to do work at close range that cannot be satis- 
factorily done with the latter instrument. 

The best is desirable but is not necessary. Very good 
results may be obtained with the regular 4x5 camera and 
equipment that can be purchased for twenty-five dollars 



2a 



306 

The results depend chiefly upon the person making the pic- 
tures. Let a skillful operator use the two instruments and 
the best pictures taken with the cheaper camera will be fully 
equal to the best taken with an expensive one, while the 
poorest taken with the latter will be just as undesirable as 
the poorest secured with the cheap outfit ; but the average of 
those taken with a high grade lens will- probably be con- 
siderably better than those taken with an ordinary one. 

Nearly every bird picture is made with the camera on a 
tripod. For a light camera, I prefer a telescopic metal tri- 
pod as they are very compact and rigid. 

One of the chief requisites of bird photographs, or of 
any other subject, is that the principal objects and fore- 
ground be absolutely sharp. Nests and nesting sites are 
always photographed with a small stop or aperture to the 
lens giving an exposure adapted to the quality and intensity 
of the light. 

A small ball and socket joint that can be procured from 
your supply dealer for about a dollar, will allow you to 
point the camera downward at a sharp angle so as to con- 
veniently photograph nests located on or near the ground. 
Care and judgment must be used in removing or tying out 
of the way any branches, leaves or grasses that come be- 
tween the camera and nest and appear out of focus on the 
ground glass. 

The very best photographic results can be obtained on 
bright cloudy days. Bright sun shining on a nest makes 
too strong a contrast of light and shadow for pleasing 
effects; such light should be screened, perferably with a 
white cloth. Do not destroy any of the foliage that is 
necessary to shelter the nest from sun, rain or observation ; 
objectionable leaves may be very easily tied with thread 
so as to be out of the way. 

Photographing Young Birds 
Beautiful pictures of very young birds in the nest may 



307 



often be secured by focusing very carefully on the nest 
then slightly jarring their home. Thinking that their par- 
ents are returning with food, often the tiny heads, with 
wide-open mouths, will be raised expectantly. Such pic- 
tures, of course, have to be made with the lens wide open 
and with a speed of not less than one-hundredth of a second. 
Little birds should not be taken from the nest for any pur- 
pose until they are fully feathered. If they are not large 
and strong enough to perch on a branch it is folly to try and 
take them in that position, for the result will be unnatural, 
forced and ugly. 

Families of little birds, side by side, on twigs make ex- 
cellent bird studies and are easily taken. The branch 
should be selected and your camera set in position and care- 
fully focussed before disturbing the birds. In such cases 
the lens is always used at its largest aperture for depth of 
focus is not only not wanted but is undesirable. A softly 
Wended background of as nearly a uniform shade as can be 
produced is the effect to aim for. Handle the little birds 
as gently as possible and try and get them to pose easily 
and gracefully on that section of the branch that is shown 
on the ground glass. Avoid any quick motions for, should 
one of the little fellows be startled and try to fly, you will 
find it very difficult to induce him to remain where you want 
him to afterwards 

Photographing Adult Birds 

Armed with a reflecting camera it is not difficult to secure 
pictures of many of the larger birds, such as gulls, terns, 
ospreys, etc., in flight. One may even occasionally get near 
enough to take a passably good picture of some of the small- 
er birds. If, however, anyone depended upon rambling 
through the fields and woods trying to get these "lucky 
shots," the photographs representing his season's work 
would be few in number and of comparatively little value. 

Lenses are mechanical implements. A lens of a certain 



308 

focal length will always make the same sized image of a 
certain sized bird at the same distance. Unfortunately this 
image of the smaller birds is very tiny unless the camera is 
very close to the subject. How., then, can we get close 
enough to the birds or get them to come close enough to us ? 
Certainly not by chasing them. The devotion of birds to 
their offspring is not surpassed by that of human mothers 
for their children; for them, they will face any danger. 
Here then, is the magnet that will unfailingly draw the bird 
within reaching distance of the camera-eye. 

Having located a nest in a get-at-able position, there are 
two practical methods of procedure in order to get the de- 
sired pictures. I will first mention the tent method as that 
is much the best. Birds pay little or no attention to inani- 
mate objects, a fact which makes bird photography possible. 
I believe it was Kearton, in England, who first conceived 
this idea of photographing from a blind. He used an arti- 
ficial tree trunk that he set in place near birds' nests and 
from the inside of which he made his pictures. It has been 
found that it is not even necessary that the blind bear re- 
semblance to surrounding objects. 

The simplest, most compact and most portable form of 
tent is that known as the umbrella-tent. An ordinary, 
strong umbrella is fitted with extensions so that the handle 
may be lengthened to about six feet; a covering is made to 
fit over the top and droop to the ground. This simple tent 
can be held rigidly upright by three guy cords from the top. 

The tent can be used successfully from which to photo- 
graph birds returning to their eggs, but only when the lat- 
ter are in advanced stages of incubation, at which time home 
ties will be strong enough to induce the bird to return. Too 
early an attempt at its use will cause the bird to desert its 
nest. 

The following will represent the mode of procedure in 
nearlv everv instance where a nest is not more than six feet 



309 

above ground. Consider that we have found the nest of a 
Chestnut-sided Warbler in a favorable position and that 
the young are about a week old. We arrive with our out- 
fit at a time of day when the light is most favorable. The 
tent is quickly placed in position so that its nearest side is 
but three feet from the nest ; in this side we have a series of 
flaps the proper one of which is pinned back so that the 
camera can be focussed on the subject. We study the image 
on the ground glass, tying back foliage that causes blurs 
in the foreground. A single branch shades the nest from 
the sun; a black thread is tied to this, carried around a 
branch on a neighboring bush and then to the tent. A gen- 
tle pull on this thread elevates the shade-branch so as to 
leave the entire nest strongly illuminated whenever we 
desire. 

Five minutes from the time we arrived, we have every- 
thing in readiness and are standing or sitting within our 
shelter. If everything goes well, within ten minutes we will 
probably see the warblers coming and going, feeding their 
little ones just as though we were not there. We usually 
allow them to make two or three visits before making ex- 
posures as the click of the shutter often startles them the 
first time they hear it. With care, plate after plate may be 
exposed without alarming the adult birds in the least. Just 
imagine it ! Free wild birds performing their household 
duties within arm's reach of you and apparently not aware 
of your presence. That sounds easy, doesn't it ? It is easy, 
too, if everything turns out as we want it to. Unfortu- 
nately, however, birds have a way of upsetting our plans, 
so that try as we will, we. may fail to get even a single 
picture. 

The tent allows of accurate observations of events at 
the nest and also of perfect control of the camera. Often, 
however, the use of a tent may not be feasible ; the nest may 
be too high or circumstances may prevent your having or 



310 

procuring a satisfactory tent, yet good pictures can almost 
as readily be obtained. The only difference is that the camera 
must be operated from a distance, which of course, necessi- 
tates going to it to change plates between exposures. Some- 
times the shutter is operated by a long tube leading from 
your place of concealment, but the better way is to use a 
black linen thread. With the thread you can operate from 
a greater distance if necessary and you can be certain that 
an exposure is made when you pull it. To release the shut- 
ter by this method I attach a rubber band to camera bed 
and pass it over the release lever which is held in place by a 
splinter of wood of correct length between it and the camera 
bed. The thread is attached near one end of this bit of 
wood so that a slight pull will bring it from under the lever 
and the elastic band will complete the work. 

Obviously no rules can be given for the very many differ- 
ent problems that are offered by different nests; they have 
to be solved by the photographer and it is his ability or in- 
ability to cope with adverse condition that will mark him as 
a successful or an unsuccessful bird photographer. The 
camera may have to be lashed up in trees; sunlight may 
have to be reflected on the nest by a mirror; but whatever 
you have to do, always bear in mind that the safety of the 
3^oung birds is of much greater importance than the secur- 
ing of a picture. Some photographers drape their tent with 
Leafy branches so as to make it less conspicuous; you can 
suit your own fancy in regard to that, as the birds do not 
care whether it is draped or not. If a tent is not used, the 
camera should be covered with a black focussing cloth so as 
to prevent fogging of the plate by chance leakage of light. 



INDEX 



Bluebird 75 

Bush-tit 195 

Catbird 130 

Cedarbird 143 

Chebec 65 

Chickadee 9 

Cowbird 179 

Cuckoo 152 

Flicker 295 

Gnatcatcher 97 

Goldfinch 101 

Grosbeak 125 

Hummingbird 91 

Jay, Blue 82 

" Rocky Mountain 279 

Kingbird 271 

Arkansas 280 

Kingfisher 223 

Nighthawk 36 

Nuthatch 21 

Oven-bird 217 

Osprey 231 

Pewee, Wood 98 

Phoebe 51 

Redstart 69 

Robin 103 



312 



Sapsucker 299 

Shrike, Loggerhead 284 

Sparrow. Chipping 159 

Field 172 

Grasshopper 176 

Song 170 

Swallow, Barn 59 

" ' Bank 47 

Tree 46 

Swift, Chimney 31 

Thrasher, Brown 135 

Thrush, Wood 123 

Wilson 117 

Veery 117 

Vireo 123 

Warbler, Black and White 199 

Chestnut-sided 207 

Golden-winged 198 

Prairie 211 

" Yellow 219 

Whip-poor-will 43 

Woodpecker, Downy 251 

Red-headed 297 

Wren, House 262 

Yellow-throat, Maryland 179 



13 1911 



One copy del. to Cat, Div. 
SFP 1* 1911 



